Generic entry timeline

Vascepa generics — when can they launch?

Vascepa (ICOSAPENT ETHYL) · Amarin Pharms · 122 active US patents · 0 expired

Earliest patent expiry
2027-05-31
1 year remaining
Full patent estate to
2033-06-28
complete protection through 2033
FDA approval
2012
Amarin Pharms

Where Vascepa sits in the generic timeline

Imminent generic cliff: earliest active US patent for Vascepa 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.

  • Method of Use — 120 patents
  • Formulation — 2 patents

FDA U-codes carved out by Vascepa 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-2707(no description)
U-2706(no description)
U-1287(no description)
U-2695(no description)
U-4105(no description)
U-2961(no description)
U-3052(no description)
U-3669(no description)
U-2690(no description)
U-3240(no description)
U-3292(no description)
U-1478(no description)
U-2691(no description)
U-2689(no description)
U-2692(no description)
U-2693(no description)
U-3209(no description)
U-2997(no description)
U-2700(no description)
U-2688(no description)

Sample patent estate

Showing 6 of 122 active US patents. View full estate on the Vascepa drug page →

  • US9700537 Method of Use · expires 2027-05-31
    This patent protects a composition for preventing cardiovascular events in patients with multiple risk factors, including those with high cholesterol.
    USPTO title: Composition for preventing the occurrence of cardiovascular event in multiple risk patient
  • US9700537 Method of Use · expires 2027-05-31
    This patent protects a composition for preventing cardiovascular events in patients with multiple risk factors, including those with high cholesterol.
    USPTO title: Composition for preventing the occurrence of cardiovascular event in multiple risk patient
  • US9198892 Method of Use · expires 2027-09-25
    This patent protects a composition and/or method for preventing cardiovascular events in patients who have had cardiovascular angioplasty or are being treated for hyperlipidemia.
    USPTO title: Composition and/or method for preventing onset and/or recurrence of cardiovascular events
  • US9198892 Method of Use · expires 2027-09-25
    This patent protects a composition and/or method for preventing cardiovascular events in patients who have had cardiovascular angioplasty or are being treated for hyperlipidemia.
    USPTO title: Composition and/or method for preventing onset and/or recurrence of cardiovascular events
  • US8524698 Method of Use · expires 2030-02-09
    This patent protects methods of treating and/or preventing cardiovascular-related disease by administering a pharmaceutical composition containing eicosapentaenoic acid or a derivative thereof.
    USPTO title: Methods of treating hypertriglyceridemia
  • US8546372 Method of Use · expires 2030-02-09
    This patent protects methods of treating and/or preventing cardiovascular-related disease by administering a pharmaceutical composition containing eicosapentaenoic acid or a derivative thereof.
    USPTO title: Methods of treating hypertriglyceridemia

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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