Obesity Drug Prices Undercut Healthcare Savings, CVS CEO Says

CVS Health Corp. Chief Executive Officer David Joyner said that drugmakers must significantly reduce the price of anti-obesity medicines before the drugs will save money for commercial health insurance plans.

“That needs to be less than what Medicare’s paying,” Joyner said in an interview Monday at Bloomberg News’ office in New York. Medicare recently announced a plan to cover Eli Lilly & Co.’s Zepbound and Novo Nordisk A/S’ Wegovy at $245 a month starting July 1.

David Joyner during a Senate hearing in Washington in 2023.

Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg

The cost of GLP-1 drugs for diabetes and obesity has been a top concern for just about everyone paying for healthcare: ...