PLAINSBORO, N.J. – Novo Nordisk announced Thursday that CVS Caremark, the country's largest Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) has decided that Wegovy (semaglutide) injection 2.4 mg, the most widely prescribed and studied GLP-1 for weight loss, will soon be the preferred GLP-1 medicine on its largest commercial template formularies. This change will be effective July 1, 2025.
"We believe in the unique benefits of Wegovy and the difference this medicine can make for patients seeking treatment," said Dave Moore, Executive Vice President, US Operations and President of Novo Nordisk Inc. "As the leader in obesity care for more than a decade, it is our responsibility to continue to work with others across the US healthcare 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."
Independent of this formulary decision, Novo Nordisk will continue to work with CVS to identify additional ways to expand access to Wegovy for its customers.
CDR
Novo Nordisk is building on our efforts to date and will explore all potential avenues that can help patients get the authentic, FDA-approved Wegovy they need at an affordable cost. In February, all doses of Wegovy were confirmed to be available by the FDA. In March, Novo Nordisk launched NovoCare Pharmacy to provide direct-to-patient, convenient home shipments of all dose strengths of Wegovy at a reduced cost of $499 per month for self-paying patients. More recently, the Wegovy savings offer was updated so that eligible self-paying patients can also get the $499-per-month price at their local pharmacy.
First approved in 2021, Wegovy is the only FDA-approved semaglutide treatment for weight loss and the medicine that changed how healthcare professionals (HCPs) treat people with obesity as the first weekly GLP-1 option for chronic weight management. Adding to the mounting reasons why HCPs choose Wegovy, the FDA expanded the label in 2024 to include an indication for reduction of the risk of major cardiovascular events such as death, heart attack, or stroke in adults with known heart disease and with either obesity or overweight. Wegovy and the semaglutide molecule continue to be studied across a variety of chronic conditions.
