&quot;This is true, in no small part, because the big three have cleverly extended the lives of their patents, making incremental “improvements” to their insulin.&quot;<p>Possibly dumb question: If the improvements really are that minor, what&#x27;s stopping other companies from using the original, &quot;unimproved&quot; formulation in a generic? How would disallowing the &quot;improved&quot; patents change the situation?