Eli Lilly & Co. LLY said Tuesday its new obesity drug Zepbound has been added to a major pharmacy benefit manager’s preferred formulary, or list of covered drugs, as it hits U.S. pharmacy shelves. Zepbound, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month, as of Dec. 1 was added to the preferred formulary of Express Scripts, the giant PBM owned by Cigna Group CI, and will be added to Cigna Healthcare commercial formularies as of Dec. 15, Lilly said. A Lilly commercial savings card program is also now available at U.S. pharmacies to help patients access Zepbound, the company said. People who are commercially insured with coverage for Zepbound may get the drug for as little as $25 a month, the company said, while those who have commercial insurance that does not cover Zepbound may pay $550 a month, about 50% off the list price. “The availability of Zepbound in U.S. pharmacies is the first step, but we have to work hand-in-hand with employers, government and healthcare industry partners to remove barriers and make Zepbound available to those who need it,” Rhonda Pacheco, Lilly’s group vice president for diabetes and obesity, said in a statement. Lilly shares gained 0.1% premarket Tuesday and are up 60% in the year to date, while the S&P 500 SPX has gained 19%.
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