2022 Outlook and Drugs Going Off Patent
The patent cliff is expected to continue in 2022 as more drugs lose patent protection. For pharmacies, the increase in generic drugs that occurs as a result of patent expirations often translates to increased profit margin while also bringing relief to patients purchasing these medications.
The patent life of a drug is 20 years from when the chemical entity is found in a lab. Typically, it takes around ten years before a drug is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for commercial use, providing approximately ten years of patent protection after it is brought to the market.
Patent dates are continuously being updated and can change frequently. For the most up-to-date information, view the FDA Orange Book.
Following are drugs expected to lose their patent protection in 2022:
| Brand | Generic | What is it for? | Anticipated release date |
| Revlimid | lenalidomide | Multiple myeloma | March, 2022 |
| Vimpat | lacosamide | Epilepsy | March, 2022 |
| Zipsor | diclofenac | Pain and swelling | March, 2022 |
| Viibryd | vilazodone | Depression | June, 2022 |
| Janumet | sitagliptin/metformin | Type 2 diabetes | July, 2022 |
| Janumet XR | sitagliptin/metformin ER | Type 2 diabetes | July, 2022 |
| Januvia | sitagliptin | Type 2 diabetes | July, 2022 |
| Toviaz | Fesoterodine ER | Overactive bladder | July, 2022 |
| Epiduo Forte | Adapalene 0.3 % /benzoyl peroxide 2.5% | Acne | December, 2022 |
Source: GoodRx.com
2022 Pharmaceutical Outlook
A new pharmacy outlook for 2022 predicts that there will be a continued focus on Covid-19’s impact on pharmaceutical prices and services. Vizient expects there will be a 3.1% increase in pharmaceutical spending in 2022.
“Throughout the course of last year, we have learned much about the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has evolved the available treatment options for COVID-19,” said Dan Kistner, group senior vice president, pharmacy solutions, Vizient. “The continuing emergence of variants, combined with significant vaccine hesitancy, is creating doubt that we will have a quick return to normal and has led Vizient to increase its projections on overall spending on related treatments.”
Along with the increase of price for drugs related to the Covid-19 pandemic, Vizient predicts that oncology will remain the top therapeutic class, increasing by 3.25% as the FDA approves new molecular entities.
The annual report also forecasts specialty pharmaceuticals to increase at a rate of 4.68% in 2022 due to the expected new drug therapies and the increase of adalimumab, a popular drug used to treat autoimmune diseases.
The Vizient Pharmacy Market Outlook is a resource for pharmacy leaders to help develop annual budgets and projections for their health system in the following years.