CVS Health has announced that it will exclude Eli Lilly’s weight-loss drug Zepbound from its standard formulary as of July 1, citing the cost of rival Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy. This decision could limit access to Zepbound for millions of patients who rely on CVS’s pharmacy benefits management services.
CVS’s exclusion is due to the lower prices offered by Novo Nordisk for Wegovy, which will become the preferred option on their standard formulary. While CVS Health offers a discounted price of $500 monthly for Wegovy at thousands of drugstores, Zepbound’s coverage has been uncertain since the announcement.
Lilly’s sales jumped 343% to $2.3 billion in the first quarter, making it one of the company’s top sellers. However, with CVS’s decision, Lilly may need to reconsider its pricing strategy to restore formulary access.
Despite this challenge, analysts believe big employers will still include both Zepbound and Wegovy on their lists of covered drugs, leaving patients and doctors to make informed decisions about treatment options.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/eli-lilly-zepbound-access-cvs-health-formulary-225b85c54115d8ff5b79d40f74e663e9