The “Wegovy” brand Slimming syringe is available for sale at Achat Pharmacy in Mitte. The “Wegovy” slimming syringe is available in Germany for a year.
Jens Kalaene | Photo Alliance | Getty Images
CVS Health On Thursday, he said it would significantly expand access to blockbuster weight loss medication for eligible patients at Caremark, the pharmacy benefits manager.
Starting July 1, Caremark will prioritize Wegovy’s list of official or covered drugs, making it the preferred GLP-1 drug for obesity. The move is part of a new partnership between Caremark and Wegovy manufacturers; Novo Nordiskaccording to CVS’ first quarter revenue release.
Caremark hits its makers with weight loss drug Zepbound from the standard formula of that date. Eli Lilya CVS spokesman told CNBC. They said these standard formulas are the most common among Caremark’s client base, representing tens of millions of patients.
Eligible patients currently taking Zepbound for Caremark can switch to Wegovy, the spokesman said.
Novo Nordisk shares fell about 1% on Thursday, while Eli Lilly’s shares fell more than 11%.
As Novo Nordisk works to enhance access to Wegovy, there is no longer a shortage in the US, which partners with Caremark, one of the nation’s largest pharmacy benefits managers, allowing drugmakers to reach even more patients.
Caremark will create a list or formula of medicines that will discount medications with manufacturers on behalf of insurance plans and refund insurance or prescription drug pharmacies.
Caremark will make the drug available to members at a “more affordable price.” PBM negotiated a drop in Wegovy’s net price for Wegovy’s standard formulary and provided savings to clients who choose those plans, a CVS spokesperson said.
However, clients at Caremark, an employer and union, will individually decide “how much of Wegovy’s savings will be shared with members through low premiums or low copies at the pharmacy counter,” the spokesman said.
Separately, patients who are not covered by Wegovy or other GLP-1 insurance can purchase Novo Nordisk drugs for $499 at any of the CVS ‘9,000 pharmacies nationwide, the spokesman added.
In its revenue release, CVS said it was the first retail pharmacy to partner with Novocare, Novo Nordisk’s new online consumer pharmacy, to eliminate Wegovy for patients with prescriptions. Novocare offers Wegovy at that low price to cash-paying patients who may struggle to take charge of the approximately $1,000 price of the drug prior to insurance or other rebates.
Caremark combines Wegovy with additional lifestyle support, such as personalized nutrition plans, as part of the CVS weight management program.
The announcement comes as Danish drugmakers compete to capture more patients. This makes many combined pharmacies legally restricted from making cheaper, unauthorized versions of Wegovy, with the rare exception.
“At this point it is unclear how the transition from combined pharmacies to other pharmacies will occur,” CVS Health Group president Premshire said in a revenue call Thursday. “However, we expect that opening 9,000 stores will have some obvious benefits: enabling patients to receive medication.”
Dave Moore, Vice President of U.S. Business at Novo Nordisk, said in another release Thursday, “In a profitable and affordable way to continue working with others across the US healthcare system, find innovative opportunities to meet these patients’ needs and connect them with authentic, FDA-approved Wegovy.”
