|
|
||||
 |
||||
 HealthSavvy Sign In
|
Generic Viagra
|
||||
|
Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) is a prescription medicine that is licensed for treating erectile dysfunction (ED). The drug is manufactured by Pfizer, and is currently protected by a patent that prevents any generic Viagra from being manufactured.
Yet, if you search the Internet for "generic Viagra," you may find a number of companies selling it. The fact is that these medicines could be fake, substandard, and potentially dangerous. You should not buy any generic form of Viagra until there is an approved generic version available.
The patent for Viagra was set to expire in 2012. This would normally be the earliest date that a generic form of Viagra could become available. However, a court ruling has already decided that a later-expiring patent (set to expire in April 2020) will protect the drug from generic competition. As a result, no generic versions of Viagra are expected to become available until 2020. Once Viagra goes off-patent, several companies will likely begin manufacturing a generic Viagra drug.
No -- sildenafil citrate is the active ingredient in Viagra, not a generic version of it. Although people often refer to a drug's active ingredient as its "generic name," the generic name of a drug is different from a generic version of it. In order for there to be a generic version of a medicine, the original medicine must have gone off-patent and another company besides the original manufacturer must make the product.
|
| Referring Pages | Articles |
