CVS Adds Lilly’s Zepbound and Foundayo Coverage, Maintains Wegovy Preferred Status
NVO•CVS will cover Lilly's Zepbound starting Oct. 1 and Foundayo from June 1 on standard CVS Caremark formularies for millions of privately insured Americans, while maintaining Wegovy's preferred status. This marks CVS Caremark as the third major PBM to cover Lilly weight-loss drugs, increasing competitive pressure on Novo Nordisk's GLP-1 portfolio.
1. Coverage Launch Details
CVS Caremark will reinstate coverage of Eli Lilly’s injectable Zepbound on Oct. 1 and begin covering its oral pill Foundayo on June 1 under its standard prescription formulary, extending access to millions of Americans enrolled in employer-sponsored and private insurance plans.
2. Impact on Novo Nordisk
Despite adding Lilly’s drugs, CVS will keep Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy as a preferred GLP-1 option, but increased access to Zepbound and Foundayo may erode Wegovy’s market share and pricing power in the rapidly growing obesity treatment segment.
3. PBM Coverage Landscape
With CVS Caremark’s decision, Eli Lilly’s anti-obesity medications gain support from three major pharmacy benefit managers—UnitedHealth’s Optum, Cigna’s Express Scripts and now CVS—broadening employer and insurer options for GLP-1 therapies.
4. Employer Healthcare Cost Trends
Rising healthcare expenses—averaging $37,824 for a family of four next year—and a 15% jump in pharmacy spending have driven nearly half of large employers to cover GLP-1 drugs, fueling demand for formulary flexibility and cost control.
