Drug Patent Lookup: Find When Medications Go Generic and Save Money

When you do a drug patent lookup, a process to check when a brand-name drug’s legal protection ends and generic versions can legally enter the market. Also known as patent expiration search, it’s how pharmacies, patients, and insurers know when prices will drop—sometimes by 80% or more. This isn’t just paperwork. It’s how you get access to cheaper versions of drugs you rely on, like metformin, lisinopril, or even newer ones like Humira after its patent ran out.

Patents last 20 years from the date they’re filed, but most brand drugs only have 7–12 years of market exclusivity after FDA approval because the clock starts ticking long before the drug hits shelves. That’s why a drug you paid $500 for last year might cost $20 this year. Authorized generics, brand-name drugs sold under a generic label by the same company after patent expiry, are one way manufacturers try to keep customers—and profits—while still lowering prices. And FDA drug patents, the official records that track which companies own rights to which drugs and when those rights expire are public. You don’t need a lawyer to find them. The FDA’s Orange Book and USPTO databases list every active patent, every exclusivity period, and every approved generic.

Why does this matter to you? Because knowing when a patent expires lets you plan ahead. If you’re on a high-cost drug, you can ask your doctor to switch to a generic before it hits shelves. Or you can wait and save hundreds a month. A drug patent lookup isn’t just for pharmacists or insurers. It’s a tool for anyone who pays for prescriptions. The posts below show real cases: how generic approvals saved patients billions, how brand companies delay competition with legal tricks, and how authorized generics quietly undercut the original price without changing a single ingredient. You’ll also see how patent cliffs affect everything from insulin to cancer drugs—and what happens when companies try to stretch patents beyond their legal limits.