IMPORTANCE

New formulations of prescription drugs can improve convenience and tolerability for patients, but they also constitute manufacturer strategies to extend brand-name drug market exclusivity periods.

OBJECTIVE

To examine whether new formulations of brand-name novel drugs were associated with novel drugs' sales and/or therapeutic value, as well as characterize first new formulations' approval timing relative to the novel drug's generic approval.

DESIGN SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

This cross-sectional study used the Drugs@FDA database to identify all novel tablet and capsule drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) between 1995 and 2010 and followed through December 31, 2021.

EXPOSURES

Novel drugs' blockbuster status, defined as annual sales of $1 billion or greater, and therapeutic value, measured by (1) accelerated approval status, (2) World Health Organization Model Lists of Essential Medicines inclusion, (3) innovativeness, and (4) clinical usefulness.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Approval of a new formulation and timing relative to a novel drug's first generic's approval.

RESULTS

Among the 206 novel drugs in tablet or capsule form approved by the FDA from 1995 to 2010, 81 (39.3%) were followed by an FDA-approved new formulation, and 167 (81.1%) had a generic version as of December 31, 2021. In multivariable analyses, new formulations were statistically significantly more likely among blockbuster drugs vs not (58.2% vs 27.6%; adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 4.72; 95% CI, 2.26-9.87;  < .001) and those granted accelerated approval vs not (50.0% vs 37.6%; AOR, 5.48; 95% CI, 1.52-19.67;  = .009), and less likely among orphan products vs not (11.8% vs 44.8%; AOR, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.03-0.52;  = .004). Essential medicine listing vs no listing (47.8% vs 36.9%; AOR, 1.32; 95% CI, 0.52-3.34;  = .56), first-in-class or advance-in-class status vs addition-to-class status (37.8% vs 40.5%; AOR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.32-1.58;  = .40), and categorization as clinically useful vs not useful (40.9% vs 44.8%; AOR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.34-1.92;  = .64) were not associated with increased likelihood of a new formulation. First new formulations were statistically significantly less likely to be approved after the novel drug's first generic approval (84.6% vs 15.4%;  < .001).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this cross-sectional study of novel drugs in tablet or capsule form approved by the FDA between 1995 and 2010, manufacturers pursued new formulations of best-selling brand-name drugs and those granted accelerated approval but did so less frequently once generic competitors entered the market. Other measures of therapeutic value were not associated with new formulations.