Generic entry timeline

Epivir generics — when can they launch?

Epivir (LAMIVUDINE) · GSK · 2 active US patents · 0 expired

Earliest patent expiry
2029-03-11
3 years remaining
Full patent estate to
2029-09-11
complete protection through 2029
FDA approval
1995
GSK

Where Epivir sits in the generic timeline

Imminent generic cliff: earliest active US patent for Epivir expires in 2029 (~3 years 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 — 1 patent
  • Other — 1 patent

FDA U-codes carved out by Epivir 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-1663(no description)

Sample patent estate

Showing 2 of 2 active US patents. View full estate on the Epivir drug page →

  • US7754731 Method of Use · expires 2029-03-11
    This patent protects the potassium salt of Compound A, an HIV integrase inhibitor used to treat or prevent HIV infection and delay the onset of AIDS.
    USPTO title: Potassium salt of an HIV integrase inhibitor
  • US7754731 Other · expires 2029-09-11
    This patent protects the potassium salt of Compound A, an HIV integrase inhibitor used to treat or prevent HIV infection and delay the onset of AIDS.
    USPTO title: Potassium salt of an HIV integrase inhibitor

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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