CVS Caremark Makes Wegovy Preferred Weight-Loss Medication
The nation’s largest PBM is placing Novo Nordisk’s premier weight-loss drug atop its formulary beginning July 1, 2025.
Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide 2.4 mg injection (Wegovy) was announced as the preferred glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medication for weight loss on CVS Caremark’s template formularies. As the largest pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) in the US, Caremark’s decision could be the catalyst for Wegovy’s continued dominance amongst other GLP-1s, according to a Novo Nordisk news release.1
“We believe in the unique benefits of Wegovy and the difference this medicine can make for patients seeking treatment,” said Dave Moore, Novo Nordisk’s executive vice president of US operations. “As the leader in obesity care for more than a decade, it is our responsibility to continue to work with others across the US health care system to find innovative opportunities to meet the needs of these patients and connect them with authentic, FDA-approved Wegovy in a convenient and affordable way.”
Effective on July 1, 2025, Wegovy will be placed atop Caremark’s largest commercial template formulary for weight-loss medications. Drug formularies are designed for health plans to help manage which drugs providers are able to prescribe. The purpose of a formulary is to ensure that a health plan’s medications are safe, effective, and affordable.2
Wegovy is positioned to continue its control among other FDA-approved weight-loss injections. | image credit: K KStock / stock.adobe.com
READ MORE: Pfizer Discontinues Development of Investigational Oral GLP-1 for Weight Management
With CVS Caremark possessing the largest share of the commercial prescription benefits market, Wegovy is positioned to continue its control of the weight-loss drug market. Just days prior to Caremark and Nordisk’s announcement regarding Wegovy’s formulary placement on May 1, Novo Nordisk announced partnerships with 3 leading telehealth organizations to further distribute Wegovy.
“Novo Nordisk announced it is expanding patient access to Wegovy injection 2.4 mg by enabling select telehealth providers to work directly through NovoCare Pharmacy to offer a simplified pathway for self-paying patients seeking access to authentic, FDA-approved Wegovy,” according to a news release.3 “CenterWell Pharmacy is the dispensing pharmacy managing prescription fulfilment and delivery for NovoCare Pharmacy, which is now allowing direct access to Hims & Hers Health, LifeMD, and Ro.”
As the drug manufacturer has stated in its most recent announcements, Novo Nordisk is committed to expanding access to Wegovy and is working closely with CVS to ensure this. But while Wegovy receives more leverage for gaining increased access on the prescription drug market, what does this mean for other GLP-1 medications used for weight management?
Starting on July 1, Wegovy will become Caremark’s primary weight-loss drug, squeezing Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide formula (Zepbound) out of Caremark’s formulary. After the announcement, Eli Lilly’s stock closed at an 11% loss, according to CNBC.4 Since the announcement, Caremark is offering patients using Zepbound the option of switching to Wegovy by July 1.
With Novo Nordisk’s launch of NovoCare Pharmacy earlier this year—a direct-to-consumer program for shipping Wegovy straight to patients’ doors—the drug manufacturer is now partnering with CVS Caremark and its affiliated CVS pharmacies. While this new partnership may be leaving other weight-loss drugs at a loss, the collaboration is ultimately making some of the country’s most sought-after medications more accessible.
“Novo Nordisk launched NovoCare Pharmacy in March to provide direct-to-patient shipments of all dose strengths of Wegovy at a price of $499 per month,” according to Formulary Watch.5 “Additionally, Novo Nordisk updated the Wegovy savings program to allow patients to access the lowered cost of Wegovy at retail pharmacies. Previously, Novo Nordisk offered a $650 per month direct-ship option for cash-paying patients.”
This announcement will almost certainly cause disruptions within the GLP-1 industry, and possibly the entire prescription drug market, as demand for these drugs continue to skyrocket. “A PwC survey in October 2024 found that 8% to 10% of Americans are currently taking GLP-1 drugs, and 30% to 35% of Americans are interested in using them,” continued Denise Myshko of Formulary Watch.
As Caremark’s formulary changes take effect in July, other manufacturers will be expected to follow suit as the distribution of weight-loss drugs in the US continues to shift and increase.
“It is our responsibility to continue to work with others across the US health care system to find innovative opportunities to meet the needs of these patients and connect them with authentic, FDA-approved Wegovy…in a convenient and affordable way,” concluded Novo Nordisk’s Dave Moore.4
READ MORE: Obesity Management Resource Center
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