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Generic Sildenafil Citrate
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Sildenafil citrate (Viagra®) is a prescription medicine that is licensed for treating erectile dysfunction (ED). Sildenafil citrate is manufactured by Pfizer and is currently protected by a patent that prevents any generic sildenafil citrate from being manufactured.
(Please note that this article refers specifically to Viagra, the original sildenafil citrate product that is approved for treating erectile dysfunction. For information about the sildenafil citrate product used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension, please see Generic Revatio.)
The first 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 sildenafil citrate drug.
No. Sildenafil citrate is the active ingredient in Viagra, not a generic version of the drug. Although people often refer to a drug's active ingredient as its "generic name," the generic name of a drug is different than 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 have made the product.
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