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Medications
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Generic Valtrex
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Valtrex® (valacyclovir hydrochloride) is a prescription medication that has been licensed to treat shingles, cold sores, chickenpox, and genital herpes. It can also be used on a daily basis to prevent recurring outbreaks of genital herpes and to decrease the chance of spreading genital herpes to sexual partners.
Brand-name Valtrex is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. However, a generic version is now available as well.
Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals, Inc., now makes a generic version of Valtrex. It comes in tablet form in the following strengths:
Starting in December 2009, Ranbaxy will be the only manufacturer allowed to make and sell a generic version of Valtrex in the United States for 180 days, due to laws that give generic manufacturers incentives to challenge the patents of brand-name medications. It is likely that the price of this medication will not be drastically lower than brand-name Valtrex, at least for the first 180 days. Once other manufacturers start making a generic Valtrex, the price will probably gradually come down.
All generic medications must undergo certain tests to compare them to brand-name medications. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) then looks at these tests to decide if the generics are equivalent to the brand-name medications and assigns each generic a rating. An "AB" rating means that the FDA has determined that a generic medication is equivalent to a brand-name medication. Generic valacyclovir has an "AB" rating, meaning it should be equivalent to Valtrex.
However, generic medications are allowed to have different inactive ingredients than the brand-name medication. This might include fillers, dyes, or other ingredients that may cause problems for people with allergies or sensitivities.
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