Adempas Generic: When Will Generic Riociguat Be Available?
This page is aggregated from FDA records, court filings and company announcements. Coded and designed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Updated October 9, 2026 How we build our data
Adempas Generic at a Glance
Four quick answers from FDA records and our estimate.
- When is the first generic expected? October to December 2026 A 3-month window Why then?
- Has the FDA approved a generic? September 2022 1 company approved
- When does the brand’s protection end? February 2034 The last of 4 listed patents Why sooner?
- Can you buy a generic today? Yes 1 company lists one
Dr. Brian Staiger Explains
PharmD, BCPS · Clinical pharmacistIt already is. A generic riociguat is listed for sale by 1 company, so ask your pharmacy whether it can fill your prescription with one.
Why October to December 2026?
The brand company and a generic maker settled their patent fight and agreed on when a generic can launch. We rate it likely: firm enough to plan around, but a court ruling or a new deal could still move it.
If Adempas’s protection runs to February 2034, how can a generic come sooner?
The 3 patents that run past the expected month, to February 2034 (10,662,188, 11,203,593 and 12,503,469), cover the active ingredient, the product’s formulation and a way of using it. A generic can still come sooner if a court rules a patent invalid or not infringed, or if the companies settle on an earlier date. Here, a settlement between the companies sets the date. Generic companies have been challenging Adempas’s patents with the FDA since October 2017. That is why the expected month comes before the last protection ends. See the road to a generic
What should I do now?
Ask your pharmacy whether it can fill your prescription with a generic. It may look different from Adempas, but the active ingredient, strength and form are the same. What a generic means for you
Our month is only an estimate based on available information, so we never name a day.
Adempas by the Numbers
- Reason
- Settlement between companiesThe brand company and a generic maker settled their patent fight and agreed on when a generic can launch.
- How sure
- Likely Firm enough to plan around, but a court ruling or a new deal could still move it.
- Price competition
- Very strong 6 companies have filed, 3 first in line
- Brand sales
- $1.1B a yearBlockbuster
- FDA approved 2013 October 2013 FDA Orange Book
- Patents listed 4 last runs to February 2034 FDA Orange Book
- Generics FDA-approved 1 company, approved September 2022 FDA Orange Book
- Medicare Part D spent $791.4M in 2025, for 6,124 people CMS Part D Spending by Drug
- Medicaid prescriptions 6,323 in the last four reported quarters, $87.5M CMS Medicaid drug utilization, to Q1 2026
Adempas’s Road to a Generic
Adempas has had the market to itself since the FDA approved it in October 2013 (Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc). Its 4 listed patents run to February 2034. Generic companies have challenged its patents with the FDA since October 2017.
The first generic of Adempas is expected between October and December 2026.
Why that month: the brand company and a generic maker settled their patent fight and agreed on when a generic can launch.
Why a Generic Can Come Before February 2034
The last listed patent runs to February 2034; a court ruling or a settlement can bring a generic sooner. Dr. Brian explains
Each bar runs from the brand’s approval to the day that protection ends. The green band is our projection for the first generic: a month, never a day, because legal dates move and a generic reaches shelves days to weeks after it is allowed. Sources: FDA Orange Book; the expected month from court records and company announcements.
Adempas Patents and FDA Protections
Every patent and exclusivity the FDA Orange Book lists for Adempas’s own applications. A protection running past the expected month does not mean the date is wrong: a settlement or a court ruling can let a generic in before a patent ends, and a patent on one formulation or use does not block every generic.
| Patent | What it covers | Protects until | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7,173,037 | The active ingredient; the product’s formulation | December 2026 | Active |
| 10,662,188 | The active ingredient; the product’s formulation; a way of using it (U-2834, U-2835) | February 2034 | Active |
| 11,203,593 | The active ingredient; the product’s formulation; a way of using it (U-2834, U-2835) | February 2034 | Active |
| 12,503,469 | The product’s formulation; a way of using it (U-2834, U-2835) | February 2034 | Active |
Source: FDA Orange Book, application 204819. Patent numbers open the patent on Google Patents.
Patent Challenges to Adempas
The first patent challenge to Adempas reached the FDA in October 2017, from 3 companies on that first day. The FDA approved a first challenger’s generic in September 2022, and the list records no sale by a first challenger yet.
What Is a Patent Challenge?
A generic company that wants to sell its version before Adempas’s patents run out can tell the FDA that a patent is invalid, or that its version does not infringe it. The FDA calls this a “Paragraph IV certification.” The brand company usually sues, and the FDA then generally cannot approve that generic for up to 30 months while the case runs. To reward going first, the companies that challenge first can get a 180-day head start: the FDA cannot approve the generics that came after them until it ends.
| Product | First challenged | Companies that day | 180-day head start | First challenger’s generic | Challenged patents run to | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approved | On sale | |||||
| Tablets, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.5 mg, 2 mg and 2.5 mg | October 2017 | 3 companies | Decision deferred decided October 2022 | September 2022 | Not yet | December 2026 |
Source: the FDA’s Paragraph IV Patent Certifications list, as of September 2026. The FDA began posting the 180-day decisions and the first challenger’s approval and first sale in June 2019: an older entry it has not updated since reads “Not posted”, and “Not yet” means the list records no such event. “Companies that day” is the FDA’s count of challenges that arrived on the first day.
Who Is Lined Up to Make Generic Riociguat
Three steps stand between a brand and a generic you can buy: a company applies to the FDA, the FDA approves it, and the company starts selling it.
Applied to the FDA
6 companies have applied to the FDA to make generic riociguat.
The FDA has tentatively approved one company’s generic: Teva Pharms USA Inc (March 2022). A tentative approval means the generic is ready, but a patent or exclusivity still stops the FDA from giving it final approval.
The FDA keeps the other applications private until it acts on them, so those companies are not named here.
First in line. 3 of them were first in line, all filing on the first day any company did: they can share 180 days on the market before the other generics, which is why being first matters.
Generic companies have challenged Adempas’s patents with the FDA since October 2017: see the patent challenges.
Approved by the FDA
The FDA has approved generic versions from 1 company, the first in September 2022. Approved is not the same as on sale: patents, a settlement or the company’s own plans can still hold a launch.
For Sale in Pharmacies
Yes. A generic riociguat is listed for sale by 1 company. Ask your pharmacy whether it can fill your prescription with it.
Zydus Pharmaceuticals USA Inc
| Company | First approved | Strengths | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Msn Laboratories Private Ltd | September 2022 | 0.5MG, 1.5MG, 1MG, 2.5MG, 2MG | AB |
Sources: how many companies have applied, from court records and company announcements; approved generics from the FDA Orange Book; tentative approvals from Drugs@FDA; what is for sale from the FDA NDC Directory. The FDA does not disclose an application before it approves it (21 CFR 314.430).
Adempas Price: What Pharmacies Pay and What Generics Usually Do
What a Generic Could Cost
How we estimate it. The national survey of what pharmacies pay (NADAC) has no recent price for Adempas, so we cannot show dollars. Here is the FDA’s finding of how far the price pharmacies pay usually falls as generic companies join: about 31% with one company, 44% with two, 73% with four and over 95% with six or more (the typical drop for every drug whose first generic came out from 2015 to 2017).
Median prices pharmacies paid for the generic (invoice prices), compared with the brand’s price before generic entry, from FDA’s 2019 analysis “Generic Competition and Drug Prices”. At the manufacturer’s price FDA found steeper drops (about 39%, 54%, 79% and over 95%), the figures quoted elsewhere on this tracker. A typical pattern, not a price quote for this medicine.
What Medicare and Medicaid Spend on Adempas
Big public spending is part of why generic makers line up for a medicine, and why its first generic matters beyond the pharmacy counter. Figures are before manufacturer rebates, which are confidential.
Medicare Part D Spending
What Medicare drug plans spent on Adempas, before manufacturer rebates.
- $207M
- January to March 2026, the latest CMS has posted
For 5,286 people, about $14,392 per prescription fill - $791.4M
- 2025, the whole year
For 6,124 people, about $13,877 per prescription fill
See the numbers
| Period | Spending | People | Per fill |
|---|---|---|---|
| January to March 2026 | $206,993,554 | 5,286 | $14,391.54 |
| 2025 | $791,433,801 | 6,124 | $13,877.01 |
Source: CMS Medicare Part D Spending by Drug, matched by the brand name Adempas only, so no generic is counted in it. What CMS says it is used for: Riociguat is used to treat high blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension). It can also be used to treat a certain type of high blood pressure in the lungs caused by blood clots (chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension) when surgery has not been fully successful or is impossible.
Medicaid Prescriptions by Quarter
6,323 prescriptions in the four quarters to Q1 2026, $87.5M paid.
See the numbers
| Quarter | Prescriptions | Medicaid paid |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | 1,505 | $21,653,805 |
| Q4 2025 | 1,611 | $22,031,123 |
| Q3 2025 | 1,709 | $23,353,914 |
| Q2 2025 | 1,498 | $20,494,051 |
| Q1 2025 | 1,566 | $21,395,696 |
Source: CMS Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data, over Adempas’s own package codes.
Adempas Strengths and Forms
| Strength | Form | How it is taken | Approved | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5MG | Tablet | Oral | October 2013 | Prescription reference product |
| 1.5MG | Tablet | Oral | October 2013 | Prescription reference product |
| 1MG | Tablet | Oral | October 2013 | Prescription reference product |
| 2.5MG | Tablet | Oral | October 2013 | Prescription reference product |
| 2MG | Tablet | Oral | October 2013 | Prescription reference product |
Source: FDA Orange Book, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc. Listed for sale today by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. (FDA NDC Directory).
Adempas NDC Codes and Packages
Each Adempas package sold today has its own NDC, the product number printed on the box and on the pharmacy label. Open one to see that package’s details, what pharmacies pay for it and its patent timeline.
| NDC | Product | Package | Company |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50419-0250-01 | RIOCIGUAT .5 mg/1 tablet, film coated | bottle of 90 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0250-01 | RIOCIGUAT .5 mg/1 tablet, film coated | bottle of 90 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0250-03 | RIOCIGUAT .5 mg/1 tablet, film coated | package of 2 blister packs of 21 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0250-03 | RIOCIGUAT .5 mg/1 tablet, film coated | package of 2 blister packs of 21 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0250-71 | RIOCIGUAT .5 mg/1 tablet, film coated | bottle of 90 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0250-91 | RIOCIGUAT .5 mg/1 tablet, film coated | bottle of 9 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0250-91 | RIOCIGUAT .5 mg/1 tablet, film coated | bottle of 9 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0251-01 | RIOCIGUAT 1 mg/1 tablet, film coated | bottle of 90 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
Show the other 24 Adempas packages
| NDC | Product | Package | Company |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50419-0251-01 | RIOCIGUAT 1 mg/1 tablet, film coated | bottle of 90 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0251-03 | RIOCIGUAT 1 mg/1 tablet, film coated | package of 2 blister packs of 21 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0251-03 | RIOCIGUAT 1 mg/1 tablet, film coated | package of 2 blister packs of 21 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0251-71 | RIOCIGUAT 1 mg/1 tablet, film coated | bottle of 90 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0251-91 | RIOCIGUAT 1 mg/1 tablet, film coated | bottle of 9 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0251-91 | RIOCIGUAT 1 mg/1 tablet, film coated | bottle of 9 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0252-01 | RIOCIGUAT 1.5 mg/1 tablet, film coated | bottle of 90 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0252-01 | RIOCIGUAT 1.5 mg/1 tablet, film coated | bottle of 90 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0252-03 | RIOCIGUAT 1.5 mg/1 tablet, film coated | package of 2 blister packs of 21 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0252-03 | RIOCIGUAT 1.5 mg/1 tablet, film coated | package of 2 blister packs of 21 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0252-91 | RIOCIGUAT 1.5 mg/1 tablet, film coated | bottle of 9 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0252-91 | RIOCIGUAT 1.5 mg/1 tablet, film coated | bottle of 9 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0253-01 | RIOCIGUAT 2 mg/1 tablet, film coated | bottle of 90 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0253-01 | RIOCIGUAT 2 mg/1 tablet, film coated | bottle of 90 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0253-03 | RIOCIGUAT 2 mg/1 tablet, film coated | package of 2 blister packs of 21 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0253-03 | RIOCIGUAT 2 mg/1 tablet, film coated | package of 2 blister packs of 21 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0253-91 | RIOCIGUAT 2 mg/1 tablet, film coated | bottle of 9 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0253-91 | RIOCIGUAT 2 mg/1 tablet, film coated | bottle of 9 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0254-01 | RIOCIGUAT 2.5 mg/1 tablet, film coated | bottle of 90 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0254-01 | RIOCIGUAT 2.5 mg/1 tablet, film coated | bottle of 90 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0254-03 | RIOCIGUAT 2.5 mg/1 tablet, film coated | package of 2 blister packs of 21 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0254-03 | RIOCIGUAT 2.5 mg/1 tablet, film coated | package of 2 blister packs of 21 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0254-91 | RIOCIGUAT 2.5 mg/1 tablet, film coated | bottle of 9 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 50419-0254-91 | RIOCIGUAT 2.5 mg/1 tablet, film coated | bottle of 9 tablets | Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
Source: the FDA NDC Directory, current listings only. Only packages sold under Adempas’s own FDA approval (NDA 204819) are listed, never a generic. Some codes belong to companies that repackage Adempas: it is the same medicine in a different package.
What a Generic Adempas Means for You
Nothing Changes Until It Is in Pharmacies
A generic is listed for sale now, so your pharmacy may already be able to fill your prescription with it.
Your Pharmacy May Switch You Automatically
Every state lets pharmacists fill a brand-name prescription with an FDA-approved generic rated as equivalent to it, and about 19 states require them to, unless your prescriber writes “dispense as written” or “brand medically necessary” on the prescription. Some states ask the pharmacist to tell you, or to get your OK first. A study of every state’s law has the details.
It Will Probably Look Different
US trademark law does not let a generic look exactly like the brand, so the color, shape or markings usually change. The active ingredient, strength and form are the same. An “authorized generic,” made by or for the brand’s own company, can look identical. The FDA explains.
Your Insurance May Change Too
Once a lower-cost version is available, many insurance plans charge more for the brand, or stop covering it. Your plan’s drug list (formulary) says how.
Questions people ask about Adempas
Is there a generic for Adempas right now?
Yes. The FDA NDC Directory lists a generic riociguat from 1 company. Ask your pharmacy whether it can fill your prescription with it.
When will Adempas go generic?
It already has. The FDA NDC Directory lists a generic riociguat from 1 company, so ask your pharmacy whether it can fill your prescription with one.
Will generic riociguat be the same as Adempas?
Yes in the ways that matter: the same active ingredient, strength and form, with proof that it reaches your blood the same way. Inactive ingredients can differ, which is why some people notice a different look or taste.
How much will the generic cost?
Nobody can say for sure before launch. 6 companies have applied to the FDA to make it. In the FDA’s study of past launches, pharmacies paid over 95% less once six or more companies sold a generic. That is a pattern from past launches, not a prediction for this one.
Has the FDA approved a generic Adempas?
Yes. The FDA Orange Book lists approved generic versions from 1 company, the first approved in September 2022: Msn Laboratories Private Ltd. Approved is not the same as on sale: patents, a settlement or the company’s own plans can still hold a launch.
When does the Adempas patent expire?
The FDA Orange Book lists 4 patents for Adempas; the last runs to February 2034. A patent date is not the launch date: settlements and court rulings often bring a generic earlier, and FDA approval or a company’s own plans can make it later. The expected window on this page (October to December 2026) weighs all of that.
Has anyone challenged the Adempas patents?
Yes. The first patent challenge to Adempas reached the FDA in October 2017, from 3 companies on that first day. The FDA approved a first challenger’s generic in September 2022, and the list records no sale by a first challenger yet. A patent challenge (a “Paragraph IV certification”) is a generic company telling the FDA that a patent listed for the brand is invalid or will not be infringed by its version. The first companies to file one can earn a 180-day head start, during which the FDA cannot approve the generics that filed after them.
Changes to This Projection
- First generic expected October to December 2026 on this month’s schedule. A line is added here whenever a monthly update moves the month, the reason or how sure it is.
Every change to the expected month is logged here with the month we saw it.
Also Going Generic
- LenvimaLenvatinib MesylateJuly 2030
- Bevespi AerosphereFormoterol Fumarate and GlycopyrrolateMarch 2031
- Tascenso ODTFingolimod Lauryl SulfateJanuary 2036
- XofluzaBaloxavir MarboxilApril 2036
- FerriproxDeferiproneOctober 2038
- PepaxtoMelphalan FlufenamideTBD no date yet
About Adempas
- Generic name riociguat
- How it is taken By mouth
- Company Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc
- Patent challenges Since October 2017 (FDA)
- More drugs Brand-name drugs starting with A
- Have a question? A pharmacist answers, free. Ask about Adempas
Sources. The expected month: FDA Paragraph IV Patent Certifications list, federal court records, company announcements and securities filings (settlement dates, launch plans, sales). The record on this page: FDA Orange Book, Drugs@FDA (tentative approvals), FDA NDC Directory, FDA Paragraph IV Patent Certifications list, CMS Medicare Part D Spending by Drug, Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data, FDA, Generic Competition and Drug Prices (2019). Updated October 9, 2026. Information, not medical advice.