Generic Hyzaar

At this time, generic Hyzaar is available in three strengths and is manufactured by several companies. The FDA has assigned the generic version an "AB" rating, which means it is considered equivalent to brand-name Hyzaar. However, generic medications may contain different inactive ingredients, and these can cause problems for people with certain sensitivities.

Hyzaar Drug Info

Generic for Hyzaar: An Overview

Hyzaar^® (losartan potassium-hydrochlorothiazide) is a prescription medication that has been licensed to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). Hyzaar is manufactured by Merck & Co. However, it is also now available in generic form.

Generic Hyzaar Availability

Generic Hyzaar tablets are available in the following strengths:

Losartan-hydrochlorothiazide 50 mg/12.5 mg -- which has 50 mg of losartan and 12.5 mg of hydrochlorothiazide
Losartan-hydrochlorothiazide 100 mg/12.5 mg -- which has 100 mg of losartan and 12.5 mg of hydrochlorothiazide
Losartan-hydrochlorothiazide 100 mg/25 mg -- which has 100 mg of losartan and 25 mg of hydrochlorothiazide.

Teva Pharmaceuticals was awarded 180 days to exclusively market their generic version of Hyzaar (without any competition) in exchange for successfully challenging a Hyzaar patent. After that exclusivity period, which started in April 2010 and ended in October 2010, generic losartan-hydrochlorothiazide became available from several other manufacturers as well.

Is Generic Losartan-Hydrochlorothiazide as Good as Hyzaar?

All generic medications must undergo certain tests to compare them to brand-name medications.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) then looks at these tests to decide if the generics are equivalent to the brand-name medications and assigns a rating to each one.

An "AB" rating means that the FDA has determined that a generic medication is equivalent to a brand-name medication. All of the generic losartan-hydrochlorothiazide versions currently available have an "AB" rating, meaning they should be equivalent to Hyzaar.

However, generic medications are allowed to have different inactive ingredients than the brand-name medication. This might include fillers, dyes, or other ingredients that may cause problems for people with allergies or sensitivities.