STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about a plan to lower Medicare drug prices, a Lilly obesity drug, and more

The Trump administration published a final rule aimed at lowering Medicare prices for drugs administered in doctor offices, but it applies to only four companies and saves 96% less than the initial proposal, STAT notes. The rule is the Global Benchmark for Efficient Drug Pricing, or GLOBE, one of two mandatory pilot programs under President Trump’s plan to get drugmakers to lower Medicare prices to levels charged in other rich countries—a policy generally called most-favored nation pricing. The other pilot, called GUARD, is still in the proposed stage.

Separately, Eli Lilly said an investigational combination therapy led to significant weight loss in a mid-stage study, though high rates of people stopping treatment may raise questions about tolerability, STAT writes. Lilly tested different combinations of its blockbuster GLP-1 drug Zepbound with eloralintide, a candidate that targets the amylin hormone, in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes.

After 48 weeks, participants who stayed on the highest dose of the combination therapy lost 23.3% of their weight. That was more than the weight loss seen with those taking only Zepbound (14.8%) and those taking only the highest dose of eloralintide (11.1%).