Generic Lodosyn: An Overview
Lodosyn® (
carbidopa) is a prescription medication that has been licensed as a treatment for
Parkinson's disease. It is also approved to treat Parkinson-like symptoms due to other causes as well. It is always used in combination with levodopa products.
Brand-name Lodosyn is made by Merck & Co., Inc. and is marketed by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. Although there are no unexpired patents for Lodosyn, the medication is not available in generic form at this time.
Why Isn't There Any Generic Lodosyn?
It is not entirely clear why there are no generic versions of Lodosyn. The patents for this product are long expired, and there is no reason why a generic manufacturer would not be allowed to make generic Lodosyn. Most likely, no generic manufacturers have chosen to do so because Lodosyn is a rarely used medication (and it would probably not be profitable for a company to make generic Lodosyn). Most people take carbidopa in combination
carbidopa-levodopa products (such as
Sinemet®, Sinemet
® CR,
Parcopa®, and
Stalevo®) and do not need to take any additional carbidopa.
Is Carbidopa a Generic for Lodosyn?
The answer is no. Carbidopa is the active ingredient in Lodosyn (and in several combination medications) but is not a generic version of Lodosyn. This can be confusing, since the active ingredient of any drug is often referred to as the "generic name." The generic name is different from a generic version of a medicine. 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 make the product.
