CVS Caremark's Return of Zepbound as a Preferred Weight-Loss Drug Takes Effect October 1
CVS Caremark's addition of Lilly's Zepbound back to its commercial template formularies as an additional preferred weight-loss option takes effect on Thursday, October 1, 2026, the date the pharmacy benefit manager set when it announced the reversal on May 28. NBC News reported that about 25 million to 30 million people are covered under Caremark's standard formulary, which had excluded Zepbound in favor of Novo's Wegovy since 2025. Plan sponsors that use the templates can still customize coverage, so whether a given patient's plan covers Zepbound depends on the employer.