Brand Name Drug

Definition

A drug marketed under a proprietary, trademarked name by the company that originally developed it. Brand-name drugs are protected by patents (typically 20 years from filing) and may receive additional exclusivity periods, during which no generic versions can be marketed.

Example

Humira (adalimumab) was the world's best-selling drug before biosimilar competition began. The brand name identifies Abbott/AbbVie as the originator.

Related Terms

Biosimilar Generic Drug New Drug Application NDA

Mentioned in Guides

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