Generic drug availability, manufacturer information, and patent status on Plavix May 16, 2012 (Hamilton, Ontario)— For years it was the second-best selling drug in the world, with more than $9 billion in global sales in 2010 alone, but the golden era of a patented. Plavix, the blockbuster blood thinner that Bristol-Myers markets with French partner Sanofi-Aventis SNY, -0.51% is set to lose patent protection around 2011. But if a legal challenge being waged. With the loss of patent protection for Plavix and Lipitor coming in such quick succession, “this year is a year that pharmaceutical insiders refer to as ‘pharmageddon,’ ” Dr. Nissen said. already exists as an alternate of this question. Would you like to make it the primary and merge this question into it? The FDA extended the patent protection of clopidogrel by six months, giving exclusivity that would expire on May 17, 2012. The FDA approved generic versions of Plavix on May 17, 2012. [45] The patent for Plavix, the world's second-best-selling medicine just expired, and the FDA said it gave seven companies permission to sell generic Plavix or clopidogrel in the standard 75-milligram. Lexapro patent expires in March 2012. So not available as a generic.\n\nIts sister drug is Celexa, which has been off patent since 2003.\n\nAsk your Dr. for Celexa. Plavix - Perhaps the most. BMS made over $1.5 billion in revenues from this franchise in 2012. The patent for Sustiva ends in 2013 and 2015 for E.U and U.S respectively. However, this is not. The US market for Sanofi/Bristol-Myers Squibb's Plavix has been blown wide open after regulators across the Atlantic gave the green light to copycat versions of the companies' mega-blockbuster bloodthinner.