There are currently no generic Stalevo (carbidopa-levodopa-entacapone) products available. Several patents involve Stalevo -- some cover individual components of the medication and some cover the combination of all three ingredients. The earliest date that generic Stalevo could become available is 2020, when the last patent expires, but it may be released earlier if some of the current lawsuits are settled.

Generic Stalevo: An Overview

Stalevo^® (carbidopa-levodopa-entacapone) is a prescription medication that has been licensed as a Parkinson's disease treatment. It contains three different medications, one that treats Parkinson's disease (levodopa) and two that increase the effectiveness and duration of levodopa (carbidopa and entacapone).

 

Stalevo is made by Orion Corporation, Inc. and marketed by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Currently, no generic Stalevo is available in the United States. However, if you search the Internet, you may find various Web sites selling it. These medicines could be fake, substandard, and potentially dangerous. Generic Stalevo may be available from another country, but there is no way of knowing if you are getting genuine Stalevo. You should not buy any so-called generic Stalevo until an approved version is available.

 

When Will Generic Stalevo Be Available?

Several different patents involve Stalevo, some of which have expired and some which have not. Some of these patents cover individual components of Stalevo, and others cover the combination of all three ingredients. The earliest Stalevo patent expired in November 2007, and the latest patent is set to expire in June 2020. Typically, this would mean that 2020 would be the earliest that a generic version of the drug could become available. However, Sun Pharmaceuticals has challenged some of the Stalevo patents and has applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make a generic Stalevo. Orion (the maker of Stalevo) and Sun Pharmaceuticals are currently involved in a lawsuit. It is likely that the outcome of this lawsuit will determine when a generic version of Stalevo will become available.