Paxlovid Generic: When Will Generic Ritonavir and Nirmatrelvir 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
Paxlovid Generic at a Glance
Four quick answers from FDA records and our estimate.
- When is the first generic expected? October 2041 About 15 years away Why then?
- Has the FDA approved a generic? Unknown No FDA Orange Book record under this name
- When does the brand’s protection end? Unknown Not in the FDA record we could read
- Can you buy a generic today? Not yet No company lists one for sale
Generic ritonavir and nirmatrelvir is expected to be available in October 2041, about 15 years away. None is for sale yet.
Why October 2041?
A patent that protects the brand runs out. After that, approved generics can be sold. We rate it probable: more likely than not, but it can still move.
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 Paxlovid 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.
Paxlovid by the Numbers
- Reason
- Patent expiresA patent that protects the brand runs out. After that, approved generics can be sold.
- How sure
- Probable More likely than not, but it can still move.
- Price competition
- None filed yet No filers on record
- Brand sales
- $3.9B a yearBlockbuster
- Pharmacies pay $49.24 each NADAC, October 2026
- Medicare Part D spent $729.3M in 2025, for 669.9K people CMS Part D Spending by Drug
- Medicaid prescriptions 130.3K in the last four reported quarters, $186M CMS Medicaid drug utilization, to Q1 2026
Paxlovid’s Road to a Generic
The first generic of Paxlovid is expected in October 2041.
Why that month: a patent that protects the brand runs out. After that, approved generics can be sold.
The bar shows Paxlovid on the market on its own until the month we expect the first generic (the green band), a month and never a day. Its approval date and patents are not in the FDA Orange Book under this name, so the bar fades in from the left. The expected month comes from court records and company announcements.
Who Is Lined Up to Make Generic Ritonavir and Nirmatrelvir
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 Paxlovid yet.
Approved by the FDA
We could not find Paxlovid’s own record in the FDA Orange Book under this name, so the approved generic makers are not shown.
For Sale in Pharmacies
Not yet. No company lists a generic ritonavir and nirmatrelvir for sale with the FDA.
Sources: how many companies have applied, from court records and company announcements; approved generics from the FDA Orange Book; what is for sale from the FDA NDC Directory. The FDA does not disclose an application before it approves it (21 CFR 314.430).
Paxlovid Price: What Pharmacies Pay and What Generics Usually Do
What Pharmacies Pay for Paxlovid 300-100 mg dose pack
$49.24 each in October 2026.
Hover over or tap anywhere on the chart to see that month’s price.
- Paxlovid 150-100 mg dose pack (moderate renal dose) $73.79 each
- Paxlovid 300-100 mg dose pack $49.24 each
- Paxlovid 300/150-100 mg dose pack (severe renal dose) $133.97 each
See the numbers
| Month | Pharmacies paid each |
|---|---|
| October 2026 | $49.24 |
| September 2026 | $49.24 |
| August 2026 | $49.23 |
| July 2026 | $49.24 |
| June 2026 | $49.23 |
| May 2026 | $49.24 |
| April 2026 | $49.30 |
| March 2026 | $49.30 |
| February 2026 | $49.30 |
| January 2026 | $49.30 |
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 Paxlovid today: $49.24 each for Paxlovid 300-100 mg dose pack 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 $49.24 pharmacies pay each 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 Paxlovid
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 Paxlovid, before manufacturer rebates.
- $115.3M
- January to March 2026, the latest CMS has posted
For 76,398 people, about $1,498 per prescription fill - $729.3M
- 2025, the whole year
For 669,938 people, about $1,070 per prescription fill
See the numbers
| Period | Spending | People | Per fill |
|---|---|---|---|
| January to March 2026 | $115,305,917 | 76,398 | $1,497.83 |
| 2025 | $729,270,968 | 669,938 | $1,069.95 |
Source: CMS Medicare Part D Spending by Drug, matched by the brand name Paxlovid only, so no generic is counted in it. What CMS says it is used for: This combination of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir is used to treat coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in people who have mild to moderate symptoms and have a high risk for COVID-19 complications. It helps people who have COVID-19 to stay out of the hospital.
Medicaid Prescriptions by Quarter
130,306 prescriptions in the four quarters to Q1 2026, $186M paid.
See the numbers
| Quarter | Prescriptions | Medicaid paid |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | 26,029 | $37,837,559 |
| Q4 2025 | 26,218 | $37,215,582 |
| Q3 2025 | 55,956 | $79,195,379 |
| Q2 2025 | 22,103 | $31,791,474 |
| Q1 2025 | 50,272 | $71,110,815 |
Source: CMS Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data, over Paxlovid’s own package codes.
Paxlovid NDC Codes and Packages
Each Paxlovid 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00069-5045-30 | kit | 10 BLISTER PACK in 1 CARTON / 1 KIT in 1 BLISTER PACK * 2 TABLET, FILM COATED in 1 BLISTER PACK * 1 TABLET, FILM COATED in 1 BLISTER PACK | Pfizer Laboratories Div Pfizer Inc |
| 00069-5317-20 | kit | 10 BLISTER PACK in 1 CARTON / 1 KIT in 1 BLISTER PACK * 1 TABLET, FILM COATED in 1 BLISTER PACK * 1 TABLET, FILM COATED in 1 BLISTER PACK | Pfizer Laboratories Div Pfizer Inc |
| 00069-5317-20 | kit | 10 BLISTER PACK in 1 CARTON / 1 KIT in 1 BLISTER PACK * 1 TABLET, FILM COATED in 1 BLISTER PACK * 1 TABLET, FILM COATED in 1 BLISTER PACK | Pfizer Laboratories Div Pfizer Inc |
| 00069-5321-30 | kit | 10 BLISTER PACK in 1 CARTON / 1 KIT in 1 BLISTER PACK * 2 TABLET, FILM COATED in 1 BLISTER PACK * 1 TABLET, FILM COATED in 1 BLISTER PACK | Pfizer Laboratories Div Pfizer Inc |
| 00069-5321-30 | kit | 10 BLISTER PACK in 1 CARTON / 1 KIT in 1 BLISTER PACK * 2 TABLET, FILM COATED in 1 BLISTER PACK * 1 TABLET, FILM COATED in 1 BLISTER PACK | Pfizer Laboratories Div Pfizer Inc |
| 00069-5434-20 | kit | 10 BLISTER PACK in 1 CARTON / 1 KIT in 1 BLISTER PACK * 1 TABLET, FILM COATED in 1 BLISTER PACK * 1 TABLET, FILM COATED in 1 BLISTER PACK | Pfizer Laboratories Div Pfizer Inc |
| 00069-5450-11 | kit | 1 BLISTER PACK in 1 CARTON / 1 KIT in 1 BLISTER PACK * 6 TABLET, FILM COATED in 1 BLISTER PACK * 5 TABLET, FILM COATED in 1 BLISTER PACK | Pfizer Laboratories Div Pfizer Inc |
Source: the FDA NDC Directory, current listings only. Some codes belong to companies that repackage Paxlovid: it is the same medicine in a different package.
What a Generic Paxlovid Means for You
Nothing Changes Until It Is in Pharmacies
Until a generic is actually for sale, keep filling Paxlovid 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 Paxlovid”. 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 Paxlovid
Is there a generic for Paxlovid right now?
No. As of October 9, 2026 no generic ritonavir and nirmatrelvir is listed for sale in the FDA NDC Directory.
When will Paxlovid go generic?
October 2041 is the expected month, and that is probable but not certain. A patent that protects the brand runs out. After that, approved generics can be sold.
Will generic ritonavir and nirmatrelvir be the same as Paxlovid?
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.
How much does Paxlovid cost now?
Pharmacies paid about $49.24 each for Paxlovid 300-100 mg dose pack 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 October 2041 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
- Venlafaxine BesylateVenlafaxine BesylateMay 2028
- AemcoloRifamycinNovember 2028
- InbrijaLevodopaFebruary 2029
- NexlizetBempedoic Acid and EzetimibeDuring 2037
- Definity RTPerflutrenMay 2037
- RomvimzaVimseltinibFebruary 2040
About Paxlovid
- Generic name ritonavir and nirmatrelvir
- How it is taken By mouth
- More drugs Brand-name drugs starting with P
- Have a question? A pharmacist answers, free. Ask about Paxlovid
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, 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.