Ycanth Generic: When Will Generic Cantharidin 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
Ycanth Generic at a Glance
Four quick answers from FDA records and our estimate.
- When is the first generic expected? January 2031 About 4.5 years 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? February 2041 4 patents listed with the FDA Why is a generic expected sooner?
- Can you buy a generic today? Not yet No company lists one for sale
Generic cantharidin is expected to be available in January 2031, about 4.5 years away. None is for sale yet.
Why January 2031?
When a generic maker challenges a patent, FDA must wait up to 30 months before approving it. That wait ends then. We rate it toss-up: still unsettled. Just as likely to slip as to hold.
If Ycanth’s last patent runs to February 2041, how can a generic come sooner?
The 4 patents that run past the expected month, to February 2041 (11,052,064, 11,147,790, 12,233,042 and 12,290,651), cover the product’s formulation and a way of using it. A patent like that protects one way of making or using the medicine, not the medicine itself. A generic company can often make its version a different way or leave that use off its label, or a court can rule the patent invalid or not infringed. That is why the expected month comes before the last protection ends. See the road to a generic
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 Ycanth 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.
Ycanth by the Numbers
- Reason
- Court hold endsWhen a generic maker challenges a patent, FDA must wait up to 30 months before approving it. That wait ends then.
- 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 2023 July 2023 FDA Orange Book
- Patents listed 4 last runs to February 2041 A generic is expected sooner, in January 2031. See why FDA Orange Book
- Medicare Part D spent $32.6K in 2025, for 18 people CMS Part D Spending by Drug
- Medicaid prescriptions 3,929 in the last four reported quarters, $4.1M CMS Medicaid drug utilization, to Q1 2026
Ycanth’s Road to a Generic
Ycanth has had the market to itself since the FDA approved it in July 2023 (Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc). Its FDA protection (new chemical entity) runs to July 2028. Its 4 listed patents run to February 2041.
The first generic of Ycanth is expected in January 2031.
Why that month: when a generic maker challenges a patent, FDA must wait up to 30 months before approving it. That wait ends then. That is about 10 years before the last listed patent runs out, in February 2041.
Why a Generic Can Come Before February 2041
The last listed patent runs to February 2041, but it covers the product’s formulation and a way of using it, not the medicine itself, which a generic can often work around or challenge. 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.
Ycanth Patents and FDA Protections
Every patent and exclusivity the FDA Orange Book lists for Ycanth’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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11,052,064 | The product’s formulation; a way of using it (U-3665, U-3663) | May 2035 | Active |
| 11,147,790 | The product’s formulation; a way of using it (U-3663, U-3664) | August 2038 | Active |
| 12,233,042 | The product’s formulation; a way of using it (U-3663) | August 2038 | Active |
| 12,290,651 | The product’s formulation | February 2041 | Active |
| Exclusivity | What it means | Ends | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| New chemical entity NCE | Five years of protection for a medicine whose active ingredient the FDA had never approved before. | July 2028 | Active |
Source: FDA Orange Book, application 212905. Patent numbers open the patent on Google Patents.
Who Is Lined Up to Make Generic Cantharidin
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 Ycanth yet.
Approved by the FDA
Not yet. The FDA has not approved a generic cantharidin. Final approval often comes close to the day a generic can be sold.
For Sale in Pharmacies
Not yet. No company lists a generic cantharidin 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).
Ycanth 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 Ycanth, 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 Ycanth
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 Ycanth, before manufacturer rebates.
- $32.6K
- 2025, the whole year
For 18 people, about $959 per prescription fill
See the numbers
| Period | Spending | People | Per fill |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $32,592 | 18 | $958.60 |
Source: CMS Medicare Part D Spending by Drug, matched by the brand name Ycanth only, so no generic is counted in it. What CMS says it is used for: This medication is used to treat a certain viral skin infection (molluscum contagiosum).
Medicaid Prescriptions by Quarter
3,929 prescriptions in the four quarters to Q1 2026, $4.1M paid.
See the numbers
| Quarter | Prescriptions | Medicaid paid |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | 1,014 | $1,127,051 |
| Q4 2025 | 988 | $1,017,902 |
| Q3 2025 | 940 | $973,289 |
| Q2 2025 | 987 | $963,615 |
| Q1 2025 | 722 | $711,254 |
Source: CMS Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data, over Ycanth’s own package codes.
Ycanth Strengths and Forms
| Strength | Form | How it is taken | Approved | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.7% | Solution | Topical | July 2023 | Prescription reference product |
Source: FDA Orange Book, Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. Listed for sale today by Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (FDA NDC Directory).
Ycanth NDC Codes and Packages
Each Ycanth 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 71349-0070-01 | CANTHARIDIN 3.2 mg/.45mL solution | ampule of .45 mL | Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 71349-0070-01 | CANTHARIDIN 3.2 mg/.45mL solution | ampule of .45 mL | Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 71349-0070-06 | CANTHARIDIN 3.2 mg/.45mL solution | carton of 6 packages of 1 applicator of 1 ampule of .45 mL | Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 71349-0070-06 | CANTHARIDIN 3.2 mg/.45mL solution | carton of 6 packages of 1 applicator of 1 ampule of .45 mL | Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 71349-0070-11 | CANTHARIDIN 3.2 mg/.45mL solution | ampule of .45 mL | Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 71349-0070-12 | CANTHARIDIN 3.2 mg/.45mL solution | carton of 12 cartons of 6 packages of 1 applicator of 1 ampule of .45 mL | Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 71349-0070-12 | CANTHARIDIN 3.2 mg/.45mL solution | carton of 12 packages of 1 applicator of 1 ampule of .45 mL | Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 71349-0999-01 | CANTHARIDIN 3.2 mg/.45mL solution | ampule of .45 mL | Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
Show the other 3 Ycanth packages
| NDC | Product | Package | Company |
|---|---|---|---|
| 71349-0999-01 | CANTHARIDIN 3.2 mg/.45mL solution | ampule of .45 mL | Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 71349-0999-06 | CANTHARIDIN 3.2 mg/.45mL solution | carton of 6 packages of 1 applicator of 1 ampule of .45 mL | Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| 71349-0999-06 | CANTHARIDIN 3.2 mg/.45mL solution | carton of 6 packages of 1 applicator of 1 ampule of .45 mL | Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
Source: the FDA NDC Directory, current listings only. Only packages sold under Ycanth’s own FDA approval (NDA 212905) are listed, never a generic. Some codes belong to companies that repackage Ycanth: it is the same medicine in a different package.
What a Generic Ycanth Means for You
Nothing Changes Until It Is in Pharmacies
Until a generic is actually for sale, keep filling Ycanth 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 Ycanth”. 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 Ycanth
Is there a generic for Ycanth right now?
No. As of October 9, 2026 no generic cantharidin is listed for sale in the FDA NDC Directory.
When will Ycanth go generic?
January 2031 is the expected month, and that is toss-up but not certain. When a generic maker challenges a patent, FDA must wait up to 30 months before approving it. That wait ends then. The last listed patent runs to February 2041, but it covers the product’s formulation and a way of using it, not the medicine itself, which a generic can often work around or challenge.
Will generic cantharidin be the same as Ycanth?
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 Ycanth?
Not yet. The FDA Orange Book lists no approved generic version of Ycanth.
When does the Ycanth patent expire?
The FDA Orange Book lists 4 patents for Ycanth; the last runs to February 2041. 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 2031) weighs all of that.
Changes to This Projection
- First generic expected January 2031 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
- AltabaxRetapamulinFebruary 2027
- NulibryFosdenopterin HydrobromideApril 2029
- ScenesseAfamelanotideJanuary 2033
- InveltysLoteprednol EtabonateMay 2033
- VevyeCyclosporineSeptember 2037
- Doryx MPCDoxycycline HyclateTBD no date yet
About Ycanth
- Generic name cantharidin
- How it is taken On the skin
- Company Verrica Pharmaceuticals 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 Y
- Have a question? A pharmacist answers, free. Ask about Ycanth
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.