In the United States, brand name medications are developed under patent protection. A drug company may spend years - decades, even - researching and testing before bringing a new drug to market. Leaving controversies over brand name drugs' high costs aside, a manufacturer's initial price for a new medication includes all the development costs it incurred for the drug. Patents on brand name drugs generally last 10 to 20 years.
As the expiration date of the patent approaches, any drug manufacturer (including the one that produced the brand-name version) may apply for permission to produce a generic version of the medication. This is the point that Depakote delayed-release tablets has reached. In her article Generic Drugs - Friend or Foe?, Marcia reviews the pros and cons of generic medication.
