Cometriq Generic: When Will Generic Cabozantinib S-Malate 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
Cometriq Generic at a Glance
Four quick answers from FDA records and our estimate.
- When is the first generic expected? February 2032 About 5.5 years away Why then?
- Has the FDA approved a generic? August 2026 1 company approved Why not on sale?
- When does the last patent end? February 2032 8 patents listed with the FDA
- Can you buy a generic today? Not yet No company lists one for sale
Generic cabozantinib s-malate is expected to be available in February 2032, about 5.5 years away. None is for sale yet.
Why February 2032?
It is when Cometriq’s patents 9,717,720, 11,298,349 and 12,128,039 end. They cover the product’s formulation and a way of using it, and once they end, generics can go on sale as soon as the FDA approves them. We rate it toss-up: still unsettled. Just as likely to slip as to hold.
If the FDA approved a generic, why can’t I buy one?
FDA approval is permission to sell, not a launch. One company has held an approval since August 2026, but a patent, a settlement or a company’s own plans can hold a generic back until the expected month. See who is lined up
Will the generic cost less?
Usually. The FDA has already approved one company to make a generic, and how many of them launch decides how far the price falls. See the price pattern
What should I do now?
Keep taking Cometriq as prescribed. When a generic arrives, your pharmacy may switch you to it automatically, and it may look different. What a generic means for you
Our month is only an estimate based on available information, so we never name a day.
Cometriq by the Numbers
- Reason
- Patent expiresA patent that protects the brand runs out. After that, approved generics can be sold.
- How sure
- Toss-up Still unsettled. Just as likely to slip as to hold.
- Price competition
- None filed yet No filers on record
- Brand sales
- Sales not reported
- FDA approved 2012 November 2012 FDA Orange Book
- Patents listed 8 last runs to February 2032 FDA Orange Book
- Generics FDA-approved 1 company, approved August 2026 FDA Orange Book
- Medicare Part D spent $4.8M in 2025, for 67 people CMS Part D Spending by Drug
- Medicaid prescriptions 37 in the last four reported quarters, $179.6K CMS Medicaid drug utilization, to Q4 2025
Cometriq’s Road to a Generic
Cometriq has had the market to itself since the FDA approved it in November 2012 (Exelixis Inc). Its 8 listed patents run to February 2032 (1 already expired).
The first generic of Cometriq is expected in February 2032.
Why that month: patents 9,717,720, 11,298,349 and 12,128,039, on the product’s formulation and a way of using it, end then.
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.
Cometriq Patents and FDA Protections
Every patent and exclusivity the FDA Orange Book lists for Cometriq’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.
The one that matters for a generic launch: patents 9,717,720, 11,298,349 and 12,128,039, which end in February 2032, the month the first generic is expected.
| Patent | What it covers | Protects until | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7,579,473 | The active ingredient; the product’s formulation | August 2026 | Expired |
| 11,091,439 | The active ingredient | January 2030 | Active |
| 11,091,440 | The product’s formulation | January 2030 | Active |
| 11,098,015 | A way of using it (U-1617) | January 2030 | Active |
| 8,877,776 | The active ingredient; the product’s formulation; a way of using it (U-1617) | October 2030 | Active |
| 9,717,720 Sets the expected month of generic availability | The product’s formulation | February 2032 | Active |
| 11,298,349 Sets the expected month of generic availability | The product’s formulation | February 2032 | Active |
| 12,128,039 Sets the expected month of generic availability | The product’s formulation; a way of using it (U-1617) | February 2032 | Active |
Source: FDA Orange Book, application 203756. Patent numbers open the patent on Google Patents.
Who Is Lined Up to Make Generic Cabozantinib S-Malate
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
No application count is on record for Cometriq, but the FDA has already approved 1 company (step 2), and every approval starts with an application.
Approved by the FDA
The FDA has approved generic versions from 1 company, the first in August 2026. 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
Not yet. No company lists a generic cabozantinib s-malate for sale with the FDA.
| Company | First approved | Strengths | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Msn Laboratories Private Ltd | August 2026 | EQ 20MG BASE, EQ 40MG BASE, EQ 60MG BASE | 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).
Cometriq 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 Cometriq, 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 Cometriq
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 Cometriq, before manufacturer rebates.
- $940.8K
- January to March 2026, the latest CMS has posted
For 26 people, about $16,800 per prescription fill - $4.8M
- 2025, the whole year
For 67 people, about $17,022 per prescription fill
See the numbers
| Period | Spending | People | Per fill |
|---|---|---|---|
| January to March 2026 | $940,797 | 26 | $16,799.95 |
| 2025 | $4,783,202 | 67 | $17,022.07 |
Source: CMS Medicare Part D Spending by Drug, matched by the brand name Cometriq only, so no generic is counted in it. What CMS says it is used for: This medication is used to treat various types of cancer. Cabozantinib belongs to a class of drugs known as tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
Medicaid Prescriptions by Quarter
37 prescriptions in the four quarters to Q4 2025, $179.6K paid.
See the numbers
| Quarter | Prescriptions | Medicaid paid |
|---|---|---|
| Q4 2025 | 13 | $63,116 |
| Q3 2025 | 13 | $63,116 |
| Q2 2025 | 11 | $53,405 |
Source: CMS Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data, over Cometriq’s own package codes.
Cometriq Strengths and Forms
| Strength | Form | How it is taken | Approved | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EQ 20MG BASE | Capsule | Oral | November 2012 | Prescription reference product |
| EQ 80MG BASE | Capsule | Oral | November 2012 | Prescription reference product |
Source: FDA Orange Book, Exelixis Inc. Listed for sale today by Exelixis, Inc. (FDA NDC Directory).
Cometriq NDC Codes and Packages
Each Cometriq 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42388-0013-14 | CABOZANTINIB S-MALATE 20 mg/1 capsule | carton of 4 blister packs of 21 capsules | Exelixis, Inc. |
| 42388-0013-14 | CABOZANTINIB S-MALATE 20 mg/1 capsule | carton of 4 blister packs of 21 capsules | Exelixis, Inc. |
| 42388-0011-14 | kit | carton of 4 blister packs of 1 kit | Exelixis, Inc. |
| 42388-0011-14 | kit | carton of 4 blister packs of 1 kit | Exelixis, Inc. |
| 42388-0012-14 | kit | carton of 4 blister packs of 1 kit | Exelixis, Inc. |
| 42388-0012-14 | kit | carton of 4 blister packs of 1 kit | Exelixis, Inc. |
Source: the FDA NDC Directory, current listings only. Only packages sold under Cometriq’s own FDA approval (NDA 203756) are listed, never a generic. Some codes belong to companies that repackage Cometriq: it is the same medicine in a different package.
What a Generic Cometriq Means for You
Nothing Changes Until It Is in Pharmacies
Until a generic is actually for sale, keep filling Cometriq as usual. When one arrives, there is nothing you need to sign up for.
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.
Until a generic is on US pharmacy shelves, be careful with websites that offer “generic Cometriq”. The FDA warns that unlicensed online pharmacies sell counterfeit and unapproved medicines; its BeSafeRx page shows how to check a pharmacy.
Questions people ask about Cometriq
Is there a generic for Cometriq right now?
No. As of October 9, 2026 no generic cabozantinib s-malate is listed for sale in the FDA NDC Directory. 1 generic version is FDA-approved (Orange Book), which usually means it is waiting on patents or on the maker’s own launch plans.
When will Cometriq go generic?
February 2032 is the expected month, and that is toss-up but not certain. It is when Cometriq’s patents 9,717,720, 11,298,349 and 12,128,039 end. They cover the product’s formulation and a way of using it, and once they end, generics can go on sale as soon as the FDA approves them.
Will generic cabozantinib s-malate be the same as Cometriq?
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. The FDA has already approved one company to make a generic, and how many of them launch decides how far the price falls.
Has the FDA approved a generic Cometriq?
Yes. The FDA Orange Book lists approved generic versions from 1 company, the first approved in August 2026: 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 Cometriq patent expire?
The FDA Orange Book lists 8 patents for Cometriq; the last runs to February 2032. The one behind the expected month is patents 9,717,720, 11,298,349 and 12,128,039, which end in February 2032. 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 month on this page (February 2032) weighs all of that.
Changes to This Projection
- First generic expected February 2032 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
- WinleviClascoteroneFebruary 2028
- OrladeyoBerotralstat HydrochlorideOctober 2035
- Auvi-QEpinephrineDecember 2037
- KhindiviHydrocortisoneFebruary 2043
- SuflaveMagnesium Sulfate, Polyethylene Glycol 3350, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, and Sodium SulfateJune 2044
- EpanedEnalapril MaleateTBD no date yet
About Cometriq
- Generic name cabozantinib s-malate
- How it is taken By mouth
- Company Exelixis Inc
- Hard to copy Inhalers, injectables, patches and other hard-to-copy products. Fewer companies attempt them and dates slip more often.
- More drugs Brand-name drugs starting with C
- Have a question? A pharmacist answers, free. Ask about Cometriq
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, 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.