43 Drugs Going Generic in the Next 5 Years (2018-2022)

Tori Marsh, MPH, is on the Research Team at GoodRx, and is the resident expert on drug pricing and savings.

Posted on July 26, 2018

Brand-only drugs like Restasis, Eliquis and Lyrica can cost well over $500 for a month’s supply, and without cheaper generic alternatives, patients are often forced to either shell out their life savings or give up essential medications. FDA initiatives to expedite the drug review process and prohibit manufacturers from holding market exclusivity for too long will hopefully bring many generics to the market soon. In fact, more than 40 expensive brand drugs are expected to go generic in the next five years.

This push is purely driven by the cost savings that generics provide to consumers as they can cost up to 95% less than brand drugs. Brand-name medications are expensive because they are protected by a patent, giving one manufacturer market exclusivity, and the ability to price the brand drug as they see fit. When a patent expires, competitors are free to enter the market with their own versions of the brand—known as the generic.

This is the main reason generic drugs can be so affordable—as more manufacturers compete to sell their version of a generic drug, prices go down. Additionally, unlike brand manufacturers, generic manufacturers don’t have to shoulder expensive research and development costs or spend money on advertising, allowing them to price their drugs lower.

Here are some of the more popular brand-name drugs that are going generic in the next five years. Keep in mind that the listed anticipated release dates are tentative, and as manufacturers continue to push the limit to hold patent protection on their brand drugs, these dates could change.

Is your drug on the list?

Drugs Going Generic in 2018

Brand	Generic	What is it for?	Anticipated release date
Cialis	tadalafil	erectile dysfunction	September, 2018
Levitra	vardenafil	erectile dysfunction	October, 2018
Finacea	azelaic acid	rosacea	November, 2018
Fortesta	testosterone	low testosterone	November, 2018
Symbicort	budesonide / formoterol	asthma & COPD	Mid to late 2018

Drugs Going Generic in 2019

Brand	Generic	What is it for?	Anticipated release date
Latuda	lurasidone	schizophrenia & bipolar disorder	January, 2019
Restasis	cyclosporine	dry eyes & eye inflammation	Early 2019
Gilenya	fingolimod	multiple sclerosis	February, 2019
Vesicare	solifenacin	overactive bladder	May, 2019
Uloric	febuxostat	gout	June, 2019
Lyrica	pregabalin	nerve pain	July, 2019
Thalomid	thalomide	multiple myeloma	August, 2019
Zubsolv	buprenorphine / naloxone	drug dependence	September, 2019
Osmoprep	sodium phosphate	colonoscopy prep	November, 2019
Eliquis	apixiban	blood thinner	2019

Drugs Going Generic in 2020

Brand	Generic	What is it for?	Anticipated release date
Daliresp	tadalafil	COPD	January, 2020
Noxafil	posaconazole	fungal & yeast infections	January, 2020
Delzicol	mesalamine	ulcerative colitis	March, 2020
Chantix	varenicline	smoking cessation	May, 2020
Dexilant	dexlansoprazole	gastroesophageal reflux disease	June, 2020
Desonate	desonide	eczema	August, 2020
Absorica	isotretinoin	acne	December, 2020
Saphris	asenapine	schizophrenia & bipolar disorder	December, 2020

Drugs Going Generic in 2021

Brand	Generic	What is it for?	Anticipated release date
Amitiza	lubiprostone	constipation	January, 2021
Sutent	sunitinib	kidney cancer	February, 2021
Tarceva	erlotinib	lung & pancreatic cancer	May, 2021
Perforomist	formoterol	asthma & COPD	June, 2021
Brilinta	ticagrelor	heart attack & stroke	July 2021
Selzentry	maraviroc	HIV	August, 2021
Atripla	efavirenz / emtricitabine / tenofovir	HIV	September, 2021
Bystolic	nebivolol	high blood pressure	September, 2021
Truvada	emtricitabine / tenofovir	HIV	September, 2021
Brovana	arformoterol	asthma & COPD	September, 2021
Pradaxa	dabigatran	atrial fibrillation	September, 2021

Drugs Going Generic in 2022

Brand	Generic	What is it for?	Anticipated release date
Revlimid	lenalidomide	multiple myeloma	March, 2022
Vimpat	lacosamide	epilepsy	March, 2022
Zipsor	diclofenac	pain & swelling	March, 2022
Viibryd	vilazodone	depression	June, 2022
Janumet	sitagliptin / metformin	type 2 diabetes	July, 2022
Janumet XR	sitagliptin / metformin ER	type 2 diabetes	July, 2022
Januvia	sitagliptin	type 2 diabetes	July, 2022
Toviaz	fesoterodine ER	overactive bladder	July, 2022
Epiduo Forte	adapalene 0.3% / benzoyl peroxide 2.5%	acne	December, 2022

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