Is there a generic for Focalin XR?

[Anonymous]

I see on my providers website that Focalin (not XR) comes in generic form. I could not tell if the XR version comes in generic form as well. Does anyone know?

[Anonymous]

I don't think so. My ped allows for generic and my insurance only covers name brand if there is no generic. We always get name brand.

[Anonymous]

OP here. What do you pay for focalin? My provider says it's a tier 1 drug for them (which I believe means it's covered minus a small copay) but that was the non extended release version.

[Anonymous]

With my plan, it's $25 copayment. Other drugs are as low as $10.

[Anonymous]

Thanks. For some reason I was thinking it was much more.

[Anonymous]

I have GEHA and pay around $80 for a 30 day supply. It's our first time trying ADHD meds for my 6 year old and Focalin XR seems to be working well, although I don't have anything else to compare it to. It ain't cheap, though!

[Anonymous]

I pay aprox $90 for a 30 day supply. I have 2 children taking this and really hope a generic will be availale soon.
Thats with insurance. Unfortuately my household income is too high for any assistance. These children do well on this drug
and need to continue. It is helpful to both. I'm just being squeezed financially!

[Anonymous]

Check the Focalin XR website. I was able to save a lot by printing out and using their discount card at my pharmacy.

My son has been taking Focalin XR since October. Some days are really good, but some days he still seems very hyper and distracted. He takes 10 mg./day. Has anyone else experienced a lot of inconsistent behavior while taking this? Or have you noticed that it stops working after taking it for a while?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Check the Focalin XR website. I was able to save a lot by printing out and using their discount card at my pharmacy.

This is what we did. The discount card saved us A LOT for the first year.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the tip on savings. we are doing a trial with Focalin XR and so far so good. We just started down the path of ADHD dx, therapies and counseling and man it is expensive.

[Anonymous]

is there a genertic version of focalin xr

[Anonymous]

nope. Concerta is the precurser (sp?) to Focalin, it is slightly different than Focalin. For some kids that difference doesnt effect them and for some it does.

Our insurance does not cover focalin - $200! we were ready to pay it if Concerta didnt work for us but it seems to be working fine.

I think that a generic version should be made available after the patent expires, which I think is 7 yrs from the time it was introduced or something like that.

[Anonymous]

I think generic is available. The pharmacist asked if I wanted name brand xr or generic. I go with name brand, despite the higher cost, as it seems to work better for my dc. P.S. Pharmacists (read this recently) make more from generic than they do name brand, so sometimes where I shop, they switch to generic without asking the customer.

[Anonymous]

Thanks also for the discount coupon tip. And, yes, somedays the meds seem to work better than others.

[Anonymous]

According to the FDA website, there is a generic for Focalin ANDA #A077107 by Teva

There appears to be only tenative approval for the extended-release product, Focalin XR; ANDA # 202580 by Mylan; I see FDA exclusivity until Oct 23, 2012 and not sure about the patent coverage (at the moment, the last patent seems to expire in 2019 but not sure if it will be challenged)

Not sure if your doctor could recommend anything else containing methylphenidate or dexmethylphenidate that would be less expensive and/or available in generic form, e.g., one of the Concertta, Ritalin or Metadate products