CVS Caremark has selected Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy as the preferred GLP-1 medication for its largest commercial template formularies, effective July 1.
In March, Novo Nordisk launched NovoCare Pharmacy to provide direct-to-patient doses of Wegovy for $499 per month. Eligible self-paying patients can also get the $499-per-month price at their local pharmacy.
The new formulary change is a blow to Eli Lilly, which began selling higher doses of Zepbound, a weight loss drug, for $499 at first fill in late February. The 7.5-milligram and 10-milligram single-dose vials are then sold for $599 and $699, respectively, through its direct-to-consumer platform. A CVS spokesperson told CNBC that the PBM secured a lower net price for Wegovy compared to Zepbound on its primary formularies, providing cost savings to clients who choose those plans.
Novo Nordisk also expanded its GLP-1 partnership with Humana’s CenterWell Pharmacy in late April to further increase access to Wegovy through direct-to-patient delivery and telehealth services. Telehealth providers Hims & Hers Health, LifeMD, and Ro will work directly with NovoCare to prescribe Wegovy to self-pay patients, and CenterWell will manage prescription fulfillment and home delivery.
According to a major clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine on April 30, Wegovy reduced liver inflammation in 63% of patients with the serious liver disease MASH, compared to 34.3% in the placebo group, and improved liver fibrosis in 37% of patients versus 22.4% in the placebo group.
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