Generic Advair

Currently, GlaxoSmithKline holds exclusive rights to make and sell Advair in the United States. There are so many different Advair patents listed with the FDA, it's hard to predict when a generic Advair will become available. To make matters more confusing, it is likely that legal battles could affect when a generic version becomes available.

Advair Inhaler

Is a Generic Version of Advair Available?

Advair^® (fluticasone and salmeterol) is a prescription medication used to treat airway spasms (bronchospasms) caused by asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It comes in two forms -- the Advair Diskus^® and the Advair^® HFA inhaler. The Advair Diskus is approved to treat both asthma and COPD, while the Advair HFA inhaler is approved only for asthma.

Advair is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. Currently, the company holds the exclusive rights to make and market Advair in the United States.

When Will a Generic Version Be Available?

Because there are many different patents for Advair listed with the FDA, it is difficult (probably impossible) to accurately predict when a generic version may become available. As is common with popular brand-name medications, there will likely be one or more legal battles concerning the generic availability of Advair. It is simply too early to even guess when a generic may be available.

Is Fluticasone and Salmeterol a Generic Advair?

The answer is no. Fluticasone and salmeterol are the active ingredients in Advair (and other medications), but they are not a generic version of Advair.

What can be confusing is that, oftentimes, the active ingredient of a drug is referred to as its "generic name." But the generic name of a medicine is different from a generic version of it. 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) must have made the product.