The generic market is currently dominated by products such as zidovudine, didanosine, stavudine and lamivudine. However, many major patent expiries are expected during the forecast period, including Sustiva (efavirenz) and Kaletra (lopinavir + ritonavir) in 2013, Prezista (darunavir ethanolate) in 2014, and major Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs) such as Trizivir (abacavir sulphate/lamivudine/zidovudine), Epzicom (lamivudine and abacavir) and Emtriva (emtricitabine) in 2016.

By 2018, billions of dollars worth of industry revenue will be lost from the expiry of these brand name products, and the race will be on for generics manufacturers to create new superstar drugs to make the most of this unmet need in the market. Generics within the antiviral market are forecast to grow at a CAGR of 10.5% during 2010-2018.

In December 2011, Teva launched generic Combivir in the US market as a combination tablet containing lamivudine and zidovudine, indicated in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV-1 infection. Combivir had annual sales of approximately $556m in 2010, based on the annual report.