Generic entry timeline

Prevacid generics — when can they launch?

Prevacid (lansoprazole) · Generic (originally Takeda) · 2 active US patents · 0 expired

Earliest patent expiry
2036-04-21
10 years remaining
Full patent estate to
2036-04-21
complete protection through 2036
FDA approval
1995-05-10
Generic (originally Takeda)

Where Prevacid sits in the generic timeline

Long-dated protection: earliest active US patent for Prevacid extends to 2036 (~10 years out). Generic competition is at least 4 years away. Lifecycle moves (new formulations, label extensions, combination filings) typically execute 18-36 months ahead of cliff.

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 — 2 patents

Sample patent estate

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

  • US11986554 Formulation · expires 2036-04-21
    This patent protects an orally disintegrating dosage form of a proton pump inhibitor, such as Prevacid, that rapidly disintegrates in the oral cavity after administration.
    USPTO title: Orally disintegrating compositions
  • US11077055 Formulation · expires 2036-04-21
    This patent protects an orally disintegrating dosage form of a proton pump inhibitor, such as Prevacid, that rapidly disintegrates in the oral cavity after administration.
    USPTO title: Orally disintegrating compositions

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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