PlainMeds research, FDA and CMS files of October 8, 2026

Generic competition by drug class

Name: Generic competition by drug class
Creator: PlainMeds
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Of 224 FDA pharmacologic classes with three or more medicines, 47 have every member listed from at least one generic labeler and 38 have none.

What the data shows

Class	Medicines	With a generic listed	Share (%)	Median generic labelers
Thiazide diuretics	21	21	100	6
ACE inhibitors	19	19	100	5
Phenothiazine	12	12	100	9.0
Methylxanthine	11	11	100	5
Tricyclic antidepressants	11	11	100	9
Alpha blockers	10	10	100	17.0
Polymyxin-class Antibacterial	10	10	100	3.5
Platelet Aggregation Inhibitor	9	9	100	5
Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor	9	9	100	38
Statins	9	9	100	19
Muscle relaxants	7	7	100	24
Barbiturates	6	6	100	5.0
General Anesthetic	6	6	100	9.5
H2 blockers	6	6	100	17.0
Central alpha-2 Adrenergic Agonist	5	5	100	36
Mood Stabilizer	5	5	100	42
Sympathomimetic Amine Anorectic	5	5	100	11
Antihistamines	4	4	100	29.0
Arteriolar Vasodilator	4	4	100	23.0
Loop diuretics	4	4	100	28.0
Macrolides	4	4	100	32.0
Nitrate Vasodilator	4	4	100	19.0
Nondepolarizing Neuromuscular Blocker	4	4	100	12.5
P2Y12 inhibitors (antiplatelets)	4	4	100	19.0
Potassium-sparing Diuretic	4	4	100	2.5
Topoisomerase Inhibitor	4	4	100	5.0
Typical antipsychotics	4	4	100	3.0
5-alpha reductase inhibitors	3	3	100	13
Aldosterone antagonists	3	3	100	9
Androgens	3	3	100	4
Antidote	3	3	100	6
Antirheumatic Agent	3	3	100	16
Aromatase inhibitors	3	3	100	19
Aromatic Amino Acid Decarboxylation Inhibitor	3	3	100	7
Bile Acid Sequestrant	3	3	100	15
Dihydrofolate Reductase Inhibitor Antibacterial	3	3	100	10
Direct thrombin inhibitors	3	3	100	9
Ergot Derivative	3	3	100	8
Folate Analog Metabolic Inhibitor	3	3	100	15
Iron Chelator	3	3	100	4
Nitrogen Binding Agent	3	3	100	5
Platinum-based Drug	3	3	100	10
Polyene Antifungal	3	3	100	18
Prostacycline Vasodilator	3	3	100	4
Tetracycline-class Antimicrobial	3	3	100	5
Vinca Alkaloid	3	3	100	1
Vitamin D Analog	3	3	100	6
Opioids (opioid agonists)	30	29	97	5.0
Beta blockers	21	20	95	14
Stimulants	17	16	94	7
Benzodiazepines	16	15	94	13.5
Aminoglycoside Antibacterial	15	14	93	2
Anti-seizure medicines	14	13	93	20.5
Calcium channel blockers	12	11	92	8.5
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)	9	8	89	20
Triptans	9	8	89	4
Calcium channel blockers (dihydropyridines)	16	14	88	7.0
Antimalarial	8	7	88	4.0
beta-Adrenergic Agonist	8	7	88	9.0
Cholinesterase inhibitors	8	7	88	12.5

The table shows the first 60 of 224 rows.

Download all 224 rows as CSV.

Source: FDA NDC Directory and Drugs@FDA via openFDA, read October 8, 2026

How it was measured

FDA Established Pharmacologic Classes from the NDC Directory; a member counts as generic-listed when FDA's NDC Directory lists it from a labeler under an ANDA.

What it cannot show

A listing is a registration for sale, not proof of supply; classes are the FDA's and overlap.

What next?

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