News
Press release
Thu, 01 May 2025 06:32:00 -0400
Thu, 01 May 2025 06:32:00 -0400
Novo Nordisk announces that CVS Caremark®, the country's largest PBM, has decided Wegovy® will be the preferred GLP-1 medicine covered for obesity on its template formularies
- Wegovy® will be the preferred GLP-1 medicine for obesity on the largest commercial template formularies for CVS Caremark, the largest Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) in the US, effective July 1, 2025
- Novo Nordisk is focused on new ways to drive access and affordability for Wegovy®, the most widely prescribed and studied GLP-1 for weight loss that is fully available nationwide
PLAINSBORO, N.J., May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Novo Nordisk announced 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.
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.
About Wegovy® (semaglutide) injection 2.4 mg
What is Wegovy®?
WEGOVY® (semaglutide) injection 2.4 mg is an injectable prescription medicine used with a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity:
- to reduce 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.
- that may help adults and children aged 12 years and older with obesity, or some adults with overweight who also have weight-related medical problems, to help them lose excess body weight and keep the weight off.
Wegovy® contains semaglutide and should not be used with other semaglutide-containing products or other GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines.
It is not known if Wegovy® is safe and effective for use in children under 12 years of age.
Important Safety Information
What is the most important information I should know about Wegovy®? Wegovy® may cause serious side effects, including:
- Possible thyroid tumors, including cancer. Tell your healthcare provider if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, hoarseness, trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath. These may be symptoms of thyroid cancer. In studies with rodents, Wegovy® and medicines that work like Wegovy® caused thyroid tumors, including thyroid cancer. It is not known if Wegovy® will cause thyroid tumors or a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) in people
- Do not use Wegovy® if you or any of your family have ever had a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or if you have an endocrine system condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2)
Do not use Wegovy® if:
- you or any of your family have ever had a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or if you have an endocrine system condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2)
- you have had a serious allergic reaction to semaglutide or any of the ingredients in Wegovy®
Before using Wegovy®, tell your healthcare provider if you have any other medical conditions, including if you:
- have or have had problems with your pancreas or kidneys
- have type 2 diabetes and a history of diabetic retinopathy
- have or have had depression, suicidal thoughts, or mental health issues
- are scheduled to have surgery or other procedures that use anesthesia or deep sleepiness (deep sedation)
- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Wegovy® may harm your unborn baby. You should stop using Wegovy® 2 months before you plan to become pregnant
- are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Wegovy® passes into your breast milk
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Wegovy® may affect the way some medicines work and some medicines may affect the way Wegovy® works. Tell your healthcare provider if you are taking other medicines to treat diabetes, including sulfonylureas or insulin. Wegovy® slows stomach emptying and can affect medicines that need to pass through the stomach quickly.
What are the possible side effects of Wegovy®?
Wegovy® may cause serious side effects, including:
- inflammation of your pancreas (pancreatitis). Stop using Wegovy® and call your healthcare provider right away if you have severe pain in your stomach area (abdomen) that will not go away, with or without vomiting. You may feel the pain from your abdomen to your back
- gallbladder problems. Wegovy® may cause gallbladder problems, including gallstones. Some gallstones may need surgery. Call your healthcare provider if you have symptoms, such as pain in your upper stomach (abdomen), fever, yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice), or clay-colored stools
- increased risk of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), especially those who also take medicines for diabetes such as insulin or sulfonylureas. This can be a serious side effect. Talk to your healthcare provider about how to recognize and treat low blood sugar and check your blood sugar before you start and while you take Wegovy®. Signs and symptoms of low blood sugar may include dizziness or light-headedness, blurred vision, anxiety, irritability or mood changes, sweating, slurred speech, hunger, confusion or drowsiness, shakiness, weakness, headache, fast heartbeat, or feeling jittery
- kidney problems (kidney failure). In people who have kidney problems, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting may cause a loss of fluids (dehydration), which may cause kidney problems to get worse. It is important for you to drink fluids to help reduce your chance of dehydration
- severe stomach problems. Stomach problems, sometimes severe, have been reported in people who use Wegovy®. Tell your healthcare provider if you have stomach problems that are severe or will not go away.
- serious allergic reactions. Stop using Wegovy® and get medical help right away, if you have any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, including swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat; problems breathing or swallowing; severe rash or itching; fainting or feeling dizzy; or very rapid heartbeat
- change in vision in people with type 2 diabetes. Tell your healthcare provider if you have changes in vision during treatment with Wegovy®
- increased heart rate. Wegovy® can increase your heart rate while you are at rest. Tell your healthcare provider if you feel your heart racing or pounding in your chest and it lasts for several minutes
- depression or thoughts of suicide. You should pay attention to any mental changes, especially sudden changes in your mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any mental changes that are new, worse, or worry you
- food or liquid getting into the lungs during surgery or other procedures that use anesthesia or deep sleepiness (deep sedation). Wegovy® may increase the chance of food getting into your lungs during surgery or other procedures. Tell all your healthcare providers that you are taking Wegovy® before you are scheduled to have surgery or other procedures
The most common side effects of Wegovy® may include: nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, stomach (abdomen) pain, headache, tiredness (fatigue), upset stomach, dizziness, feeling bloated, belching, low blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes, gas, stomach flu, heartburn, and runny nose or sore throat.
Please see Medication Guide and Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning, for Wegovy® at https://www.novo-pi.com/wegovy.pdf
About Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company that's been making innovative medicines to help people with diabetes lead longer, healthier lives for more than 100 years. This heritage has given us experience and capabilities that also enable us to drive change to help people defeat other serious chronic diseases such as obesity, rare blood, and endocrine disorders. We remain steadfast in our conviction that the formula for lasting success is to stay focused, think long-term, and do business in a financially, socially, and environmentally responsible way. With a US presence spanning 40 years, Novo Nordisk US is headquartered in New Jersey and employs over 10,000 people throughout the country across 12 manufacturing, R&D and corporate locations in eight states plus Washington DC. For more information, visit novonordisk-us.com, Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Novo Nordisk is committed to the responsible use of our semaglutide-containing medicines which represent distinct products with different indications, dosages, prescribing information, titration schedules, and delivery forms. These products are not interchangeable and should not be used outside of their approved indications. Learn more at semaglutide.com.
Contacts for further information
Media: | |
Liz Skrbkova (US) | Ambre James-Brown (Global) |
Investors: | |
Frederik Taylor Pitter (US) +1 609 613 0568 | Jacob Martin Wiborg Rode (Global) |
Sina Meyer (Global) +45 3079 6656 | Ida Schaap Melvold (Global) +45 3077 5649 |
Max Ung (Global) |
SOURCE Novo Nordisk Inc.