Drug Molecules Going Off Patent in 2010

This year at least 20 odd drug molecules will be going off-patent in the United States including (1) Merck’s anti-hypertension molecule Losartan, active ingredient of Cozaar and Hyzaar franchise, (2) Eisai’s anti-dementia molecule Donepezil, active ingredient of Aricept and Aricept ODT (3) Sanofi-Aventis’s anti-cancer molecule Docetaxel, active ingredient of Taxotere franchise, (4) Pfizer’s Latanoprost, active ingredient of Xalatan franchise, (5) Glaxo’s anti-viral molecule Lamivudine, active ingredient of Trizivir, Epivir and Combivir franchise, (6) AstraZeneca’s anti-cancer molecule Anastrozole, active ingredient of Arimidex franchise, (7) Boehringer’s anti-depressant molecule Pramipexole, active ingredient of Mirapex franchise and (8) Eli Lilly’s anti-cancer molecule Gemcitabine, active ingredient of Gemzar franchise. Novartis and Roche too are losing patent protection for their anti-viral molecule Penciclovir and antiretroviral molecule Saquinavir respectively. Other molecules losing patent protection include Cidofovir (Gilead), Imiquimod (Graceway), Naratriptan (GlaxoSmithKline), Zafirlukast (AstraZeneca), Zileuton (Critical), Topotecan (GlaxoSmithKline), Butenafine (Mylan), Adapalene (Galderma), Eprosartan (Abbott) and Tiludronate (Sanofi-Aventis).