Generic Viagra Now Available: Here – s How to Get It – The GoodRx Prescription Savings Blog

Generic Viagra Now Available: Here’s How to Get It.
on December 7, 2017 at 2:44 pm.
As of Monday, Dec. 11, 2017, two generic versions of Viagra (sildenafil) are available in pharmacies: one by generic manufacturer Teva, and the other by the original manufacturer, Pfizer. Prices for generic sildenafil are about half what they are for the brand version.
Current prices for brand name Viagra are around $70 per pill, and prices for generic versions run between $35 and $40 per pill. That’s before any additional discounts – check back at GoodRx to see what additional discounts might be available.
Pfizer announced plans to release its own generic version days before Teva’s version arrives on the shelves (Teva has planned a generic version since 2013). This will allow Pfizer – which sold more than $1 billion of Viagra in the US in 2016 – to keep some of that cashflow coming in. Other generic versions are expected to arrive in pharmacies in the summer of 2018, which should drive prices even lower.
More than 60 million men worldwide have used Viagra since it hit the market in 1998. Those are the official numbers from Pfizer; many men are embarrassed to ask their doctors for a prescription, and the Internet has long been awash in dubious offers for the drug without a prescription.
This story has been updated to reflect current news. The original story is below.
Pfizer, the manufacturer of erectile dysfunction med Viagra , just reached a settlement with generic manufacturer Teva that will allow Teva to start selling generic Viagra ( sildenafil ) in December 2017—that’s more than two years earlier than the current patent expiration in April 2020.
This is great for anyone using Viagra, as the cost of generic sildenafil will be lower, but a there are a few things to keep in mind.
The Teva generic will be the only one available for two-plus years, unless there are other settlements or the patent is contested successfully. This means that there won’t be a lot of competition to drive the generic price down once it hits the market.
There is also a chance that because the indication (the reason it’s prescribed) isn’t considered essential by many insurance plans, your odds of getting the generic covered may not be all that much better than the brand.
Some better news though: The patent expiration for Cialis also falls in that 2017 – 2020 window, in May 2018, so other generic options in the same class of drugs may help lower prices as well.
You may also be aware that generic sildenafil is already available, as a generic to pulmonary arterial hypertension drug Revatio . You can check out Dr. O’s article It’s Here! Finally a Viagra You Can Afford for more info.
Overall, don’t expect major changes for a little while longer yet, but they are coming.
About The GoodRx Medical Team.
Dr. Sharon Orrange, MD MPH.
Dr. Orrange is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Southern California, as well as a practicing adult medicine doctor in Los Angeles. She also has a Masters in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. She does not receive any form of compensation from pharmaceutical manufacturers for the opinions expressed here. Follow her on twitter at @orrangemd.
The GoodRx Pharmacist.
Roni Shye, PharmD CGP BCACP graduated from Duquesne University and is a licensed pharmacist in the states of Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Her realm of pharmacy experience includes but is not limited to retail, compounding, and specialty pharmacy. Currently she is a mentor for Strong Women Strong Girls, certified thru APhA in Medication Therapy Management and diabetes, and an active member of The Ohio pharmacists association, LGBT, and the Women’s Business Resource Group.
Elizabeth Davis is GoodRx’s medical editor and consumer savings expert. She hand-assembled the GoodRx drug database and has researched virtually every available discount program and savings opportunity.
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