CVS Health will put Eli Lilly's Zepbound back on its standard drug plans starting Oct. 1, reversing a year-old decision that had left the weight-loss injectable off the preferred list. The company also said it will begin covering Lilly's anti-obesity pill Foundayo on June 1.
The move matters now because CVS Caremark's standard template is used by insurers and employers that cover millions of Americans on private insurance plans. For patients trying to get treatment for obesity through work-based coverage, the change can determine whether a prescription is paid for or left to out-of-pocket spending.
A year ago, CVS Caremark struck a deal to make Novo Nordisk's Wegovy the preferred GLP-1 medication without giving Zepbound the same status. Now both drugs will appear as preferred medicines on CVS Caremark's standard formularies, and Wegovy will remain on those plans without interruption, according to Novo Nordisk.
CVS said the return of Zepbound reflects what customers asked for: affordability and optionality in weight-loss drugs. The company said it worked with the manufacturers to secure a more affordable cost, but it did not disclose the pricing terms of the Zepbound deal.
That gap matters because employers are already under pressure from fast-rising health spending. For the average family of four, employer health care costs are projected to reach $37,824 in 2026, and pharmacy expenses rose nearly 15% in 2026, driven in part by spending on GLP-1 medications and specialty drugs, according to Milliman. Mercer said 49% of large employers covered GLP-1 medications in 2025, up from 41% in 2023, while a separate KFF survey found 43% of large employers covered GLP-1 drugs for weight loss.
Smaller companies have been less likely to offer that coverage, but insurers and employers that use CVS Caremark's templates can tailor their plans. CVS Caremark is now the third large pharmacy benefit manager to cover Lilly's anti-obesity medications, after UnitedHealth Group's Optum and Cigna's Express Scripts. Lilly launched Foundayo after Food and Drug Administration approval in April, and on May 21 the company said late-stage study results for its next-generation shot retatrutide showed dramatic weight loss among people with obesity. Lilly could seek FDA approval for retatrutide later this year.
For people with private coverage, the practical change arrives on two dates: June 1 for Foundayo and Oct. 1 for Zepbound. The larger question is whether more employers follow CVS Caremark's lead and make weight-loss drugs easier to get, or hold back as the bills keep climbing.
