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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Herpes / December 2004Generic Valtrex (Valvirex) Anyone used?
I have run across Generic Valtrex being sold as Valvirex for 30-40% less than Valtrex. Has anyone used this? I had thought the patent hadn't run out on Valtrex yet so I am somewhat skeptical. Valvirex is supposedly manufactured by Gutis which is a foreign manufacturer. >I have run across Generic Valtrex being sold as >Valvirex for 30-40% less than Valtrex. Has anyone used >this? I had thought the patent hadn't run out on Valtrex yet so I am >somewhat skeptical. >Valvirex is supposedly manufactured by Gutis which is > a foreign manufacturer. It might be that some company has taken it upon themselves to manufacture the generic in some place beyond U.S. patent laws. A quick search doesn't turn up anything terribly negative other than the generic warning to let the buyer beware. Someone willing to violate a patent may also lack other scruples. I'll keep looking though... Mike > >I have run across Generic Valtrex being sold as > >Valvirex for 30-40% less than Valtrex. Has anyone used > >this? I had thought the patent hadn't run out on Valtrex yet so I am > >somewhat skeptical. The Valacyclovir patents start runnning out in 2009 according GSK... > >Valvirex is supposedly manufactured by Gutis which is > > a foreign manufacturer. Costa Rican as far as I can see.... > It might be that some company has taken it upon themselves to > manufacture the generic in some place beyond U.S. patent laws. ...and beyond the Berne convention as well. This sort of thing was pretty common when patents were all locally dealt with you know. The multinationals simply filed simulataneously in many territories (and still do to some extent for safety) Anyone have any idea if Costa Rica is signatory to the Berne. The other option is a license so GSK can retool a production plant or two yet still make money. Cannot find mention of that on the GSK website though. > > A quick search doesn't turn up anything terribly negative other than > the generic warning to let the buyer beware. Someone willing to > violate a patent may also lack other scruples. Technical point, if the makers are operating outside of territories the patents protect, they are not violating anything. The people moving the pills into or within protected areas I assume would be a different matter if there's no license. There are a fair number of pharmacies online that operate outside of common patent protected areas and sell on - all have blurb somewhere attempting to indemnify them against other coutnries laws and saying any IP/prescrption etc laws are yours to deal with. Goes back to the buyer beware line since while the transaction may be legal and above board in the coutnry of origin a lot of rules may kick in as the stuff moves. However without any solid data Im guessing a lot here. Tim -- When playing rugby, its not the winning that counts, but the taking apart ICQ: 5178568 >I have run across Generic Valtrex being sold as >Valvirex for 30-40% less than Valtrex. Has anyone used >this? I had thought the patent hadn't run out on Valtrex yet so I am >somewhat skeptical. >Valvirex is supposedly manufactured by Gutis which is > a foreign manufacturer. I dropped a question in the GlaxoSmithKlineWellcomeWhatever email box, and will eagerly await a reply. Take care, Mike >>I have run across Generic Valtrex being sold as >>Valvirex for 30-40% less than Valtrex. Has anyone used >>this? I had thought the patent hadn't run out on Valtrex yet so I am >>somewhat skeptical. >>Valvirex is supposedly manufactured by Gutis which is >> a foreign manufacturer. >I dropped a question in the GlaxoSmithKlineWellcomeWhatever email >box, and will eagerly await a reply. No one ever writes me back. (sigh) ;-) Mike Yes. It's crap. Dosn't seem to do any harm, but was totally ineffective for me. If you really want to try it, I'll send you some of what I have since I won't be using it. Maybe it will work for you, but it did not for me. You are taking a BIG chance making this announcement on a public newsgroup.. Happy Holidays, Angela :) www.yoshi2me.com > Yes. It's crap. Dosn't seem to do any harm, but was totally ineffective > for > me. If you really want to try it, I'll send you some of what I have since > I > won't be using it. Maybe it will work for you, but it did not for me. Gyrrodog's info was a helpful post- in conjunction w/ Mike's patent info... and may have saved me $$. I felt safer ordering something online that was a well established generic (as opposed to a pirated product, which is what "Valvirex by mfg by Gutis" sounds like... I could be wrong and it may still be efficacious. But it may not be, in which case I would be delaying treatment). I ended up getting what I believe is a bona fide acyclovir generic manufactured my a known corporation. The image matches the one in the PDR and the imprinted number matches the mfg's number. And best of all, its working. >Gyrrodog's info was a helpful post- in conjunction w/ Mike's patent info... >and may have saved me $$. >I felt safer ordering something online that was a well established generic >(as opposed to a pirated product, which is what "Valvirex by mfg by Gutis" >sounds like... I could be wrong and it may still be efficacious. But it >may not be, in which case I would be delaying treatment). >I ended up getting what I believe is a bona fide acyclovir generic >manufactured my a known corporation. The image matches the one in the PDR >and the imprinted number matches the mfg's number. And best of all, its >working. Glaxo never did write me back. Gutis is undoubtedly an established manufacturer of pharmeceuticals in Central America, though, apparently, one not feeling a need to respect Glaxo's patents. The most generous view of Gutis's production of Valvirex would be that intellectual property as embodied in such esoteria as patents, isn't really property at all, and that no rights are being violated. The more skeptical view is that of a company willing to profit from the work of others without compensating those others. For the people in the markets that Gutis mainly serves, the niceties of U.S. patent law are irrelevant, though other niceties, such as those of quality control, may also be not as strictly observed. In any event, if Valvirex is available here in the states, it is probably illegally so. And I'm not sure that the price difference between that and Acyclovir is so great as to compensate for the possible negatives. Certainly, one would have a hard time eliciting compensation for any injuries or non-performance of the smuggled substance. Mike Thanks everyone for this thread! Gyrodog- I am wondering if you have tried the real valtrex and compared the results? I just bought a bunch of generic acyclovir (Aciclovir by La Sante) before I read this. I can only hope I am not going to be scammed... Acyclovir is just as good as Valtrex. The only thing about Acyclovir is that sometimes you have to take it more.. (ie: the prescription instructions are different) and it doesn't absorb into your body as quickly as the Valtrex. Otherwise.. it's ok to take Acyclovir instead if cost is a factor OR you don't have insurance. Another thing you can think about are the patient assistance programs that Glaxo offers people that would prefer to take Valtrex. I have a link or two on my site here: http://www.yoshi2me.com/herpes-hpv-links.html Happy Holidays!! Angela :) >I have run across Generic Valtrex being sold as > Valvirex for 30-40% less than Valtrex. Has anyone used [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Valvirex is supposedly manufactured by Gutis which is > a foreign manufacturer. Thanks for the info. Slight correction- since valtrex is a prodrug (precursor to acyclovir), it actually takes longer for it to hit the bloodstream than acyclovir. It actually gets metabolized into acyclovir, which is the active form of the drug. This (structural difference) is also what allows it to be taken less often because it is present in the bloodstream for a longer duration of time. > Thanks for the info. > > Slight correction- since valtrex is a prodrug (precursor to acyclovir), it > actually takes longer for it to hit the bloodstream than acyclovir. It Im not 100% sure its that simple, there is a conversion step but its not the only issue involved in getting oral drug into the blood. Oral Valacyclovir is described as being pharmacokinetically as good as iv ACV by several papers which would put it ahead of oral ACV. The thing is more bioavailable than ACV so it may get picked up much faster and if the liver conversion is not rate limiting (its certainly very efficient) then you will still get enough active drug faster into the bloodstream as the faster pickup overrides any slowdown from conversion in comparison to oral ACV. Both have to get through gut and liver to the general circulation so the liver sees it all. Kimberlin et al in Am J Obstet Gynecol (1998) vol 179, p 846 state there is no difference in time to peak concentration, or elimination half life, and the higher higher VACV peaks seems to suggest its getting picked up quicker....thats in pregancy so it spossible (though Id be surprised) the rates are different.... Everything else I read annoying says VACV is taken up and converted fast, or words to that effect without giving numbers....I'll have to try digging a bit later see if I can find them - its a bit late here right now...but everythin lists better area under curves and higher peaks for VACV...with similar halflives that should mean its getting in as fast or faster... AH found a Hoglund paper that has iv ACV going to peak twice as fast as oral VACV using about double the VACV as the iv ACV to cover the loss from bioavailabilty to compare them, equal amounts of oral ACV are about half as bioavilable as VACV which would make them run pretty much side by side for equal dosing by mouth all else being equal. Tim -- When playing rugby, its not the winning that counts, but the taking apart ICQ: 5178568 You may be right. I apologize if I was hasty. You bring up an interesting point for those interested in the finer pharmacokinetic details (which includes me, though I wish I had less of a personal vested interest in this--- read: coping mechanism) Would you agree that the most important thing in terms of viral supression is to maintain a high enough plasma concentration of acyclovir (via valacyclovir or acyclovir)? Thanks for your info. Personally, it doesn't matter which one you use (ie: Valtrex and/or Acyclovir) as long as you figure out which one works best for you. I found out through a series of tests out of Valtrex, Acyclovir and Famvir the Valtrex worked much better and the flare ups went away faster. But, that's just me. Everybody is different. Each person has to figure out what works best for them. Merry CHRISTmas!! Angela :-)  SignatureSTD Message Board: http://www.yoshi2me.com/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/index.php Picking Up the Pieces: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/PickingUpThePieces/ SSNA Scoop: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/SSNA-Scoop/ > You may be right. I apologize if I was hasty. You bring up an interesting > point for those interested in the finer pharmacokinetic details (which [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Thanks for your info. > Would you agree that the most important thing in terms of viral supression > is to maintain a high enough plasma concentration of acyclovir (via > valacyclovir or acyclovir)? Yes, thats really the main aim of both the nucleoside prodrugs on the market (thats Famvir/famciclovir and Valtrex/valacyclovir [Zelitrex in a few places I think]). They get more into the body per given dose so it takes longer for the released active drug to drop below the minimum effective plasma level (ACV in valacyclovir's case, PCV in famciclovir's). Less frequent dosing, stronger peak response etc.... Tim -- When playing rugby, its not the winning that counts, but the taking apart ICQ: 5178568 |
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