Nevanac Generic: When Will Generic Nepafenac 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
Nevanac Generic at a Glance
Four quick answers from FDA records and our estimate.
- When is the first generic expected? January 2027 About 4 months away Why then?
- Has the FDA approved a generic? Not yet None in the FDA’s records yet Why not yet?
- When does the last patent end? January 2027 Its only patent listed with the FDA
- Can you buy a generic today? Not yet No company lists one for sale
Generic nepafenac is expected to be available in January 2027, about 4 months away. None is for sale yet.
Why January 2027?
It is when Nevanac’s patent 7,834,059 ends. That patent covers a way of using it, and once it ends, 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.
Why hasn’t the FDA approved a generic yet?
That is normal before a launch. The FDA usually can’t give a generic its final approval while a patent or exclusivity still blocks it, so final approval often comes close to the day the generic can be sold. No company holds a “tentative” approval yet either (the FDA’s word for a generic that is ready but still blocked).
Will the generic cost less?
Usually, but no company is recorded as having applied to make one yet, and a single company usually brings only a modest drop. See the price pattern
What should I do now?
Keep taking Nevanac 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.
Nevanac 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
- $4M a yearSmaller seller
- FDA approved 2005 August 2005 FDA Orange Book
- Patents listed 1 last runs to January 2027 FDA Orange Book
- Pharmacies pay $104.71 per mL NADAC, October 2026
- Medicare Part D spent $1.5M in 2025, for 1,251 people CMS Part D Spending by Drug
- Medicaid prescriptions 218 in the last four reported quarters, $76.4K CMS Medicaid drug utilization, to Q1 2026
Nevanac’s Road to a Generic
Nevanac has had the market to itself since the FDA approved it in August 2005 (Harrow Eye LLC). Its one listed patent runs to January 2027.
The first generic of Nevanac is expected in January 2027.
Why that month: patent 7,834,059, on a way of using it, ends 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.
Nevanac Patents and FDA Protections
Every patent and exclusivity the FDA Orange Book lists for Nevanac’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: patent 7,834,059, which ends in January 2027, the month the first generic is expected.
| Patent | What it covers | Protects until | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7,834,059 Sets the expected month of generic availability | A way of using it (U-1095) | January 2027 | Active |
Source: FDA Orange Book, application 021862. Patent numbers open the patent on Google Patents.
Who Is Lined Up to Make Generic Nepafenac
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 company is recorded as having applied to the FDA to make a generic Nevanac yet.
Approved by the FDA
Not yet. The FDA has not approved a generic nepafenac. Final approval often comes close to the day a generic can be sold.
For Sale in Pharmacies
Not yet. No company lists a generic nepafenac for sale with the FDA.
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).
Nevanac Price: What Pharmacies Pay and What Generics Usually Do
What Pharmacies Pay for Nevanac 0.1% eye drop
$104.71 per mL in October 2026.
Hover over or tap anywhere on the chart to see that month’s price.
See the numbers
| Month | Pharmacies paid per mL |
|---|---|
| October 2026 | $104.71 |
| September 2026 | $104.71 |
| August 2026 | $104.67 |
| July 2026 | $104.77 |
| June 2026 | $104.78 |
| May 2026 | $104.78 |
| April 2026 | $104.78 |
| March 2026 | $105.00 |
| February 2026 | $104.99 |
| January 2026 | $104.70 |
NADAC: the national average price retail pharmacies pay to buy the medicine (CMS survey, updated weekly), the last price of each month for one package. It is not what you pay: that depends on your insurance or discount card.
What a Generic Could Cost
How we estimate it. We start from what pharmacies pay for Nevanac today: $104.71 per mL for Nevanac 0.1% eye drop in October 2026, from the national NADAC survey. Then we apply the FDA’s finding of how far that price 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).
Dollar figures apply FDA’s median drops to the $104.71 pharmacies pay per mL today. An estimate from the pattern, not a price quote: what you pay depends on your insurance or discount card.
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 Nevanac
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 Nevanac, before manufacturer rebates.
- $207.5K
- January to March 2026, the latest CMS has posted
For 359 people, about $440 per prescription fill - $1.5M
- 2025, the whole year
For 1,251 people, about $513 per prescription fill
See the numbers
| Period | Spending | People | Per fill |
|---|---|---|---|
| January to March 2026 | $207,465 | 359 | $440.48 |
| 2025 | $1,455,450 | 1,251 | $513.21 |
Source: CMS Medicare Part D Spending by Drug, matched by the brand name Nevanac only, so no generic is counted in it. What CMS says it is used for: This medication is used to relieve eye pain, irritation, and redness following cataract eye surgery. Nepafenac belongs to a class of drugs known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Medicaid Prescriptions by Quarter
218 prescriptions in the four quarters to Q1 2026, $76.4K paid.
See the numbers
| Quarter | Prescriptions | Medicaid paid |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | 82 | $28,514 |
| Q4 2025 | 98 | $32,426 |
| Q3 2025 | 38 | $15,484 |
| Q2 2025 | 0 | $0 |
Source: CMS Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data, over Nevanac’s own package codes.
Nevanac Strengths and Forms
| Strength | Form | How it is taken | Approved | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1% | Suspension/drops | Ophthalmic | August 2005 | Prescription reference product |
Source: FDA Orange Book, Harrow Eye LLC. Listed for sale today by Alcon Laboratories, Inc., Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation and Harrow Eye, LLC (FDA NDC Directory).
Nevanac NDC Codes and Packages
Each Nevanac 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00065-0002-03 | 1 mg/mL suspension/ drops | bottle of 3 mL | Alcon Laboratories, Inc. |
| 00078-0778-03 | 1 mg/mL suspension/ drops | bottle of 3 mL | Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation |
| 82667-0500-03 | NEPAFENAC 1 mg/mL suspension/ drops | bottle of 3 mL | Harrow Eye, LLC |
Source: the FDA NDC Directory, current listings only. Only packages sold under Nevanac’s own FDA approval (NDA 21862) are listed, never a generic. Some codes belong to companies that repackage Nevanac: it is the same medicine in a different package.
What a Generic Nevanac Means for You
Nothing Changes Until It Is in Pharmacies
Until a generic is actually for sale, keep filling Nevanac 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 Nevanac”. 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 Nevanac
Is there a generic for Nevanac right now?
No. As of October 9, 2026 no generic nepafenac is listed for sale in the FDA NDC Directory.
When will Nevanac go generic?
January 2027 is the expected month, and that is toss-up but not certain. It is when Nevanac’s patent 7,834,059 ends. That patent covers a way of using it, and once it ends, generics can go on sale as soon as the FDA approves them.
Will generic nepafenac be the same as Nevanac?
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. No company is recorded as having applied to the FDA to make one yet, and a single company usually brings only a modest drop.
Has the FDA approved a generic Nevanac?
Not yet. The FDA Orange Book lists no approved generic version of Nevanac.
When does the Nevanac patent expire?
One patent is listed for Nevanac in the FDA Orange Book; it runs to January 2027. The one behind the expected month is patent 7,834,059, which ends in January 2027. 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 (January 2027) weighs all of that.
How much does Nevanac cost now?
Pharmacies paid about $104.71 per mL for Nevanac 0.1% eye drop in October 2026, by the national survey of what pharmacies pay (NADAC). That is the pharmacy’s cost, not your price: what you pay depends on your insurance or discount card.
Changes to This Projection
- First generic expected January 2027 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
- LastacaftAlcaftadine2026 to 2027
- BevyxxaBetrixabanMarch 2031
- TavalisseFostamatinib DisodiumApril to June 2032
- XospataGilteritinib Fumarate2033 to 2034
- PemazyrePemigatinib2037 to 2038
- FabhaltaIptacopan HydrochlorideAugust 2038
About Nevanac
- Generic name nepafenac
- How it is taken In the eye
- Company Harrow Eye LLC
- 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 N
- Have a question? A pharmacist answers, free. Ask about Nevanac
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, NADAC (CMS), 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.