CVS Caremark has expanded coverage options for GLP-1 weight management medications, including the return of Zepbound as a preferred formulary option — reversing a decision that drew significant patient pushback.
CVS Caremark initially selected Wegovy as the preferred GLP-1 for its largest commercial template formularies effective July 1, 2025. Patients pushed back, saying coverage denials were arbitrary, and a class-action lawsuit was filed in September 2025 alleging CVS Caremark violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. That lawsuit remains active.
Zepbound will return to CVS Caremark commercial formularies Oct. 1, while the pharmacy benefit manager also plans to remove the new-to-market block on oral GLP-1 therapy Foundayo beginning June 1, according to a May 28 company news release. CVS Caremark’s standard formulary affects roughly 25 million to 30 million people, though being added to the formulary does not guarantee coverage, as employers often make the final decision on whether to pay for the medications.
The country’s two other major PBMs — Express Scripts and Optum Rx — already cover Zepbound.
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