Generic entry timeline

METHOTREXATE generics — when can they launch?

METHOTREXATE (METHOTREXATE) · · 100 active US patents · 32 expired

Earliest patent expiry
2026-10-04
expired
Full patent estate to
2035-10-28
complete protection through 2035
FDA approval
1953

Where METHOTREXATE sits in the generic timeline

All listed Orange Book patents for METHOTREXATE have expired. Generic entry is permitted, and ANDA filers can launch without patent infringement risk. Hatch-Waxman exclusivity (NCE/ODE/PED) may still apply if recently approved.

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 — 57 patents
  • Method of Use — 43 patents

FDA U-codes carved out by METHOTREXATE 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-1442(no description)
U-3700(no description)

Sample patent estate

Showing 6 of 100 active US patents. View full estate on the METHOTREXATE drug page →

  • US8021335 Formulation · expires 2026-10-04
    This patent protects a prefilled syringe jet injector that uses an energy source to inject a medicament at a pressure of between about 80 and 1000 p.s.i.
    USPTO title: Prefilled syringe jet injector
  • US8021335 Formulation · expires 2026-10-04
    This patent protects a prefilled syringe jet injector that uses an energy source to inject a medicament at a pressure of between about 80 and 1000 p.s.i.
    USPTO title: Prefilled syringe jet injector
  • US8021335 Formulation · expires 2026-10-04
    This patent protects a prefilled syringe jet injector that uses an energy source to inject a medicament at a pressure of between about 80 and 1000 p.s.i.
    USPTO title: Prefilled syringe jet injector
  • US8021335 Formulation · expires 2026-10-04
    This patent protects a prefilled syringe jet injector that uses an energy source to inject a medicament at a pressure of between about 80 and 1000 p.s.i.
    USPTO title: Prefilled syringe jet injector
  • US8021335 Formulation · expires 2026-10-04
    This patent protects a prefilled syringe jet injector that uses an energy source to inject a medicament at a pressure of between about 80 and 1000 p.s.i.
    USPTO title: Prefilled syringe jet injector
  • US8021335 Formulation · expires 2026-10-04
    This patent protects a prefilled syringe jet injector that uses an energy source to inject a medicament at a pressure of between about 80 and 1000 p.s.i.
    USPTO title: Prefilled syringe jet injector

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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