NEW YORK, June 10 -- For an American on Medicare, the price of a weight-loss drug falls to fifty dollars a month on the first of July, no matter the dose. The two companies that make those drugs have spent six months positioning for that single line on the calendar.

Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are racing to lock in patients before the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge opens, CNBC reported, a program that from July 1 lets eligible Part D beneficiaries fill prescriptions for Novo's Wegovy pill, Lilly's Zepbound injection and Lilly's new Foundayo pill at a flat $50 copayment. The program, born of pricing deals the White House struck with both companies, was designed to run through December and has already been extended to the end of 2027.

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