https://therevolvingdoorproject.org/the-industry-agenda-big-pharma/"This is done through various tactics, which often bypass antitrust laws and abuse the patent system. One harmful anti-competitive tactic employed by Big Pharma is product hopping, otherwise known as “evergreening” or “line extension”. In this practice, brand name pharmaceutical companies make minor changes to the original formulation of a drug when its patent is about to expire (for example, manufacturing the drug as a tablet instead of a capsule), and then obtain patents for the latest version of the drug, preventing or discouraging the production or sale of the original formulation. Although the switch from one version of a drug to another may seem harmless, it stifles competition and prevents competitors from putting cheaper generic versions on the market. It also costs healthcare payors and patients billions of dollars. For instance, one study found that just five instances of product hopping cost the US healthcare system $4.7 billion annually. Thus, this seemingly minimal “innovation” keeps drug prices high for consumers without significantly improving the product."
