We’re nearing the end of the year, and many people are already in open enrollment for next year’s health coverage, which means it is a great time to plan ahead for your 2010 drug expenditures. No, you can’t know every medication you are going to need, but if you are on a popular, patented maintenance drug such as Lipitor or Cozaar, you’ll be pleased to hear that their patents are expiring in 2010, opening the field for more-affordable U.S. generic versions.

In the meantime, as you do your research, you will see that many are already available as generics, manufactured outside of the U.S. There is usually a considerable cost savings.

Here are all the details of some of the highest-profile drugs that have expiring patents as of the end of 2009, or during 2010 — and how and where to get the generic versions.

ARICEPT (donepezil). Pfizer makes the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor Aricept for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Aricept is scheduled to lose patent protection in the U.S. in 2010, but generic versions are already available.

COZAAR (losartan). Merck’s Cozaar is an angiotensin II receptor antagonist, used to treat hypertension. Cozaar’s patent protection in the U.S. will expire in 2010. In the meantime, generic losartan is available here.

LEVAQUIN (levofloxacin). Johnson & Johnson’s antibiotic drug Levaquin will outlive its patent protection in 2010. However, until that time, you can purchase generic levofloxacin here.

LIPITOR (atorvastatin). Pfizer has the best-selling drug in the world in Lipitor, which treats high cholesterol. In the US, the basic patent for Lipitor expires in March 2010, while the second patent covering the calcium salt of atorvastatin expires in June 2011. It is not yet clear exactly which date will see widespread availability of generic Lipitor in the U.S., but it is coming. In the meantime, generic atorvastatin is available here.

XENICAL (orlistat). Roche’s Xenical is an obesity treatment that prevents the digestive system from absorbing fats. Its patent expires in December of this year.  (Note: In some countries, including the U.S., orlistat is available over-the-counter as GlaxoSmithKline’s Alli.)

VALTREX (valacyclovir). GlaxoSmithKline’s Valtrex is a treatment for herpes simplex and herpes zoster (shingles). Valacyclovir was recently approved for generic production, and so generic versions will be on the U.S. market by the end of 2009. As of this writing, generic valacyclovir is available here.

If you’re interested in the business ramifications for the pharmaceutical companies, CNN ran a good article on the topic, and so did Chemistry World.

Enjoy using EDrugSearch.com to knowledgeably plan your medication choices for the coming year.

They say they believe that such methods can cause what amounts to an abortion and that the contraceptives promote promiscuity, divorce, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and other societal woes.

The result of this trend has been “confrontations that have left women traumatized.” How would you like to walk into a pharmacy and essentially be told that in attempting to fill a legal prescription, you were committing a grievous sin?

Now, I have no intention of getting involved in the debate over abortion. But I think that, unless you have a big sign outside your pharmacy saying you do not fill prescriptions for contraceptives, it’s unfair to put female customers in the position of being embarrassed or ashamed for simply trying to buy birth control pills.

What’s next? Refusing to fill a prescription for Valtrex, because it treats herpes, or Viagra, which addresses male reproductive issues?

The Post says there’s an even larger trend afoot:

The pharmacies are emerging at a time when a variety of health-care workers are refusing to perform medical procedures they find objectionable. Fertility doctors have refused to inseminate gay women. Ambulance drivers have refused to transport patients for abortions. Anesthesiologists have refused to assist in sterilizations.

I’m glad we live in a free country where people can live out their values — as long as by doing so they aren’t recklessly hurting others.

I’m also glad that people can order prescription medications privately online — so they don’t have to risk being confronted by a pharmacist who chooses to judge them, rather than to serve them.

This drug parody ad makes an interesting point. Ads with a tagline of “Your secret is safe with Valtrex” actually might be a more effective way for GlaxoSmithKline to market the drug, considering how many herpes sufferers are reticent to share their condition with their partners. The ads could be done by the same agency that does the “What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas” ads.

It would be morally and ethically WRONG, of course — but we are talking about Big Pharma here.

It would at least be more true to life than the current overly-earnest approach — always featuring both partners smiling and talking pleasantly to the camera. A good shouting match might be more appropriate.

People really seem to like making fake Valtrex commercials, by the way. Check ‘em out.

1. Accupril
2. Provigil
3. Viagra
4. Plavix
5. Yasmin
6. Lipitor
7. Acyclovir
8. Zyprexa
9. Vytorin
10. Acne
11. Strattera
12. Climara
13. Phentermine
14. Imitrex
15. Anxiety
16. Xenical
17. Antidepressants
18. Crestor
19. Abilify
20. Synthroid
21. Topamax
22. Amoxicillin
23. Zetia
24. Combivent
25. Valtrex

As we state each month, the list isn’t a perfect reflection of the most popular drugs purchased online, largely because of Google. For a variety of reasons, eDrugSearch.com appears very high in the organic search results for some drugs, but not as high for others. This obviously skews our results.

With this caveat, however, we hope that over time our results will shed light on trends in online drug sales.

We’ll post our December results next month.