STAT+: A major insurer on how it may replicate Medicare’s chronic-care experiment

The Trump administration has released a final rule to lower Medicare prices for drugs administered in doctor offices. However, the rule applies to only four companies and results in a price reduction of just 96% compared to the initial proposal, according to STAT. The rule is part of the Global Benchmark for Efficient Drug Pricing (GLOBE) pilot program, one of two mandatory pilots under President Trump's plan to pressure drugmakers to lower Medicare prices to levels charged in other wealthy nations.

The administration's policy is commonly referred to as most-favored nation pricing. Another pilot, called GUARD, is still in the proposed stage.

In other news, an investigational combination therapy from Eli Lilly has shown promising results in a mid-stage study. The therapy combines Lilly's blockbuster GLP-1 drug Zepbound with eloralintide, a candidate targeting the amylin hormone, in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes. After 48 weeks, participants on the highest dose of the combination therapy lost 23.3% of their weight, more than those taking only Zepbound (14.8%) or only the highest dose of eloralintide (11.1%).

However, high rates of people discontinuing the treatment may raise concerns about its tolerability, as reported by STAT.