Can I Buy Generic Livalo?
Livalo® (
pitavastatin) is a prescription medication used to treat
high cholesterol. Specifically, this medicine lowers total
cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (
LDL, or "bad" cholesterol), apolipoprotein B (ApoB) cholesterol, and
triglycerides. It also increases high-density lipoprotein (
HDL, or "good" cholesterol) levels.
This medication is made by Patheon, Inc., for Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc., and marketed by Kowa Pharmaceuticals and Lilly USA, LLC. Currently, Livalo is protected by patents and exclusivity rights that prevent a generic version from being manufactured in the United States.
When Will a Generic Version Be Available?
The first patent for Livalo expires in May 2015. This is the earliest predictable date that a generic version could become available.
However, there are other circumstances that could come up to extend or shorten this exclusivity period. This could include such things as lawsuits or other patents for specific
Livalo uses. Once the drug goes off-patent, there may be several companies that manufacture a generic Livalo drug.
Is Pitavastatin a Generic Livalo?
No -- pitavastatin is the active ingredient in Livalo, but it is not a generic version of it.
What can be confusing is that the active ingredient of a drug is often referred to as the "generic name." The generic name is different from a generic version of a medicine.
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.
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