Plus developing a product from the old patent still requires extensive FDA approval. Very expensive stuff.
I've even seen it done when the previous version and the new version were still both once daily (tamsulosin, I'm looking at you!)
Yes, some insurers will hesitate to cover the new formulation when it comes out, but not all.
Sometimes the insurer will make a deal with the manufacturer so that the manufacturer is only getting paid the generic-equivalent price. But who knows what happens behind closed doors.
Who's the customer here, the prescriber or the patient? Is a prescription for the weekly formulation valid for the daily one too?
2. While they still had the patent on the regular tamsulosin formulation, they stopped making it. Effectively forcing everyone onto the XR formulation unless they wanted to change molecules entirely.
The data showed little difference as I recall in terms of effectiveness because the half life was long enough to take once daily, regardless of formulation.