Generic Hivid: An Overview
(This medication is no longer available. This medication was not discontinued for safety reasons. The manufacturer of Hivid chose to stop making it because current HIV treatment guidelines recommended using newer medications, rather than Hivid.)
Hivid
® (
zalcitabine) is a prescription medication used to treat HIV and
AIDS. Hivid is part of a group of medications known as nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (also known as NRTIs). Hivid is approved for use only in combination with other HIV medications.
Hivid is made by Roche Pharmaceuticals. It is currently under the protection of a patent that prevents any generic Hivid from being manufactured in the United States.
When Will Generic Hivid Be Available?
The first patent for Hivid currently expires in July 2008. This is the earliest possible date that a generic version of Hivid could become available. However, there are other circumstances that could come up to extend the exclusivity period of Hivid beyond 2008. This could include things such as other patents for specific
Hivid uses or lawsuits. Once Hivid goes off patent, there may be several companies that manufacture a generic Hivid drug.
Is Zalcitabine Generic Hivid?
The answer is no. Zalcitabine is the active ingredient in Hivid, but it is not a generic version of Hivid. What can be confusing is that, oftentimes, the active ingredient of a drug is referred to as the "generic name." The generic name is different than 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) would make the product.
