Generic entry timeline

MORPHINE SULFATE generics — when can they launch?

MORPHINE SULFATE (MORPHINE SULFATE) · · 71 active US patents · 0 expired

Earliest patent expiry
2027-06-19
1 year remaining
Full patent estate to
2034-03-12
complete protection through 2034
FDA approval
1984

Where MORPHINE SULFATE sits in the generic timeline

Imminent generic cliff: earliest active US patent for MORPHINE SULFATE expires in 2027 (~1 year from today). ANDA filers are likely already preparing Paragraph IV certifications. Expect first-filer 180-day exclusivity competition imminently.

Under US Hatch-Waxman, a generic enters via an ANDA (Abbreviated New Drug Application) and may file with one of four Paragraph IV certifications attacking the brand's listed patents. If the brand sues within 45 days, a 30-month FDA approval stay is triggered. First Para IV filer typically gets 180-day market exclusivity.

Patent estate by type — active patents

Method-of-use patents only carve out specific indications; generics can launch with a "skinny label" omitting those uses. Composition-of-matter patents block the molecule itself.

  • Formulation — 42 patents
  • Method of Use — 29 patents

FDA U-codes carved out by MORPHINE SULFATE patents

Method-of-use patents are listed against specific FDA Patent Use Codes ("U-codes") representing carved-out indications. Generics can launch with a label that omits these uses.

U-codeDescription
U-1510(no description)
U-1640(no description)
U-1556(no description)
U-43(no description)
U-55(no description)

Sample patent estate

Showing 6 of 71 active US patents. View full estate on the MORPHINE SULFATE drug page →

  • US8877247 Formulation · expires 2027-06-19
    This patent protects a multi-layer pharmaceutical composition that includes an opioid antagonist and an opioid agonist, such as morphine sulfate, separated by a seal coat.
    USPTO title: Abuse-deterrent multi-layer pharmaceutical composition comprising an opioid antagonist and an opioid agonist
  • US8846104 Formulation · expires 2027-06-19
    This patent protects a pharmaceutical composition that combines an antagonist, an agonist, a seal coat, and a sequestering polymer in a single unit.
    USPTO title: Pharmaceutical compositions for the deterrence and/or prevention of abuse
  • US7682634 Formulation · expires 2027-06-19
    This patent protects a pharmaceutical composition that combines an antagonist, an agonist, a seal coat, and a sequestering polymer in a single unit.
    USPTO title: Pharmaceutical compositions
  • US7682633 Method of Use · expires 2027-06-19
    This patent protects a method of manufacturing a pharmaceutical composition that includes an antagonist, an agonist, a seal coat, and a sequestering polymer in a single unit.
    USPTO title: Pharmaceutical composition
  • US7682634 Formulation · expires 2027-06-19
    This patent protects a pharmaceutical composition that combines an antagonist, an agonist, a seal coat, and a sequestering polymer in a single unit.
    USPTO title: Pharmaceutical compositions
  • US8158156 Method of Use · expires 2027-06-19
    This patent protects a multi-layer pharmaceutical composition that includes an opioid antagonist and an opioid agonist, such as morphine sulfate, separated by a seal coat.
    USPTO title: Abuse-deterrent multi-layer pharmaceutical composition comprising an opioid antagonist and an opioid agonist

Sources

Patent term extensions (PTR, pediatric exclusivity), Hatch-Waxman 30-month stays, and FDA regulatory exclusivity (NCE/ODE/PED) may shift the effective generic entry date. Not legal advice.

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