Zepbound is scheduled to return to CVS Caremark's standard formularies

Zepbound (tirzepatide) is scheduled to return to CVS Caremark's commercial formularies as an additional preferred obesity treatment effective Oct. 1, 2026, about 17 months after the pharmacy benefit manager removed it ^[1]. Wegovy (semaglutide), in both its injectable and oral forms, keeps preferred status, so Caremark's preferred list is set to include both leading brands ^[1].

CVS said in a news release announced in late May 2026 that Caremark worked with Eli Lilly to secure a more affordable cost for the drug ^[1]. The company also said it would lift its new-to-market block on Foundayo (orforglipron), Lilly's oral GLP-1 for weight loss, effective June 1, 2026 ^[1].

What the price terms say

For eligible patients with commercial coverage, both Zepbound and Foundayo are described as available for as little as $25 a month ^[1]. Medicare Part D beneficiaries may be eligible to pay $50 a month for obesity medicines beginning July 1 through the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, a short-term CMS demonstration running from July 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2027 ^[1].

Those figures are tied to eligibility rules, and the source does not spell out what makes a person eligible, whether every Caremark employer client will adopt the change, or how prior authorization and step therapy will work after Oct. 1. Those details are not yet known from the available reporting.

Caremark dropped Zepbound in May 2025 in favor of Wegovy ^[1]. That earlier switch produced a measurable jolt in prescribing. Using Truveta data presented at the AMCP Annual Meeting in Nashville in April 2026, researchers looked at 700,907 patients, defined as adults 18 and older with a body mass index of 27 or higher who had two consecutive GLP-1 fills between January and September 2025 ^[1]. Before May 2025, switching away from tirzepatide ran at roughly 0.6% per month; between June and July it jumped to 10.2%, a 17-fold increase ^[1]. A second analysis of prescribing share from January 2024 through September 2025 found the surge in switching leveled off afterward, which the researchers read as a sign that the disruption after a coverage change is temporary ^[1].

Caremark says patients currently on Wegovy can continue without interruption ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

Formulary decisions by a large pharmacy benefit manager determine which GLP-1 a person can fill at the lowest copay, and sometimes whether it is covered at all. The 2025 removal showed how quickly that can ripple into real prescriptions: one in ten tirzepatide patients changed drugs in a single two-month stretch ^[1]. The October 2026 change moves in the opposite direction, restoring a second preferred branded option rather than narrowing the list.

Having two preferred products can matter to people who did not tolerate one molecule well, or who responded better to the other. It may also reduce the mid-treatment switching that follows an exclusive deal. Still, a drug being on a formulary is not the same as a specific employer plan covering obesity treatment at all. Coverage of weight-management drugs remains an employer-by-employer decision, and it is tightening in places: a Business Group on Health survey of 105 large employer members fielded in February and March 2026 found 67% currently cover GLP-1 medications for weight management, with some employers scaling back for 2027 ^[2]. The summary of benefits and coverage distributed during open enrollment is the document that spells out what a given plan will pay for the coming year ^[2].

What happens next

• June 1, 2026: Caremark's new-to-market block on Foundayo is lifted ^[1].
• July 1, 2026: The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge demonstration begins, with $50-a-month pricing possible for eligible Part D beneficiaries ^[1].
• Oct. 1, 2026: Zepbound returns to Caremark's commercial formularies as a preferred option ^[1].
• Dec. 31, 2027: The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge demonstration is scheduled to end ^[1].

Whether individual employer plans follow the template formulary, and what happens to plan-level costs, is not yet clear from the reporting available.