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Generic Alora
Although other estrogen patches are available as a generic, Alora is not. It is no longer protected by patents; however, Alora cannot be bought as a generic in the United States. Until an approved generic becomes available, you should not buy any so-called generic Alora products that you find on the Internet, as these medicines are probably fake.
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Alora® (estradiol patch) is a prescription estrogen hormone replacement medication. It is approved for the following uses:
- Preventing osteoporosis in postmenopausal women
- Treating menopausal symptoms, such as vaginal dryness and hot flashes
- Replacing hormones in younger women whose ovaries do not produce enough estrogen.
Alora is made by Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. There are no generic versions approved in the United States. Yet, if you search the Internet for "generic Alora," you may find a number of companies selling it. The fact is that these medicines may be fake, substandard, and potentially dangerous. Generic Alora may be available from another country, but there is really no way of knowing whether you are getting genuine Alora. You should not buy any generic Alora until there is an approved generic version available.
The patents for Alora have expired (the first one expired in December 2011, and the remaining three expired in May 2011). However, no generic versions of Alora have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at this time.
None of the generic estradiol patches currently available are equivalent to Alora. All generic medications must have certain tests to compare them to brand-name medications. The FDA then looks at these tests to decide which medications are equivalent to each other and assigns a rating to each one. Alora has a "BX" rating, which means that no other product (generic or otherwise) is equivalent to it, even though other patches with the same active ingredient in the same strength are available. Most likely, these other patches have not been shown to release estradiol at the same rate or for the same length of time as Alora patches.
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD