Does anyone know...

[Nancy R]

how long it takes before a medication can be FDA approved in the generic form? Specifically, I am wonderinh when (if ever) Elmiron will be approved in the generic form. It was FDA approved in 1996. Just hoping someone knows the answers to this one. Thanks.

-Nancy R <img src="graemlins/bunny.gif" border="0" alt="[bunny]" />

[Nicole in ATL]

Hi Nancy,

The patent protects the brand name drug for 20 years after it is invented. It is important not to confuse this with when the drug was approved by the FDA.

So, the quicker a drug is developed and approved, the longer time it would be available under patent.

It is not uncommon for drug development to take 8 or more years until the drug is ready to be submitted to the FDA for approval.

So, in order to figure out when elmiron could come off patent, we'd have to know what year it was invented. Which I don't know. But thought I'd share the info I do know.

Nicole <img src="graemlins/blink.gif" border="0" alt="[blink]" />

[Nancy R]

Nicole~ Thanks for the info. I will investigate, but that gives me a lot of hope b/c I think Elmiron was available in Europe waaaay before it was available here so hopefully it will be cheap cheap cheap for everyone soon <img src="graemlins/scream.gif" border="0" alt="[scream]" />

-Nancy R

[ICNDonna]

Even now you can order it out of Canada much less expensively than it is in the US.

Donna