Generic Avodart

A patent currently prevents any generic Avodart from being manufactured in the United States. While you may find a number of companies on the Internet claiming to sell a generic version of Avodart, you should be advised that these drugs are fake, substandard, and potentially dangerous. You should not buy any generic for Avodart until an approved generic is available. The earliest date that an approved generic Avodart drug could become available for sale is in 2013, when the patent for Avodart expires.

Generic for Avodart: An Overview

Avodart® (dutasteride) is a prescription medication that has been licensed to treat an enlarged prostate. Enlarged prostate is also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH.
 
Avodart is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. It is currently under the protection of a patent that prevents any generic Avodart from being manufactured in the United States. Yet, if you search the Internet for "generic Avodart," you may find a number of companies selling it. The fact is that these medicines are fake, substandard, and potentially dangerous. There may be a generic Avodart available from another country, but there is really no way of knowing if you are getting genuine Avodart or not. You should not buy any generic Avodart until there is an approved generic available.
 

When Will Generic Avodart Be Available?

The first patent for Avodart currently expires in 2013. This is the earliest possible date that a generic version of Avodart could become available. However, there are other circumstances that could come up to extend the exclusivity period of Avodart beyond 2013. These circumstances could include such things as other patents for specific Avodart uses or lawsuits. Once Avodart goes off patent, there may be several companies that manufacture a generic Avodart drug.
 
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;
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