Zepbound is back on CVS Caremark, and Medicare open enrollment starts Oct 15

In July 2025, CVS Caremark, one of the three biggest pharmacy benefit managers in the US, dropped Zepbound from its main commercial drug lists (formularies) and moved people to Wegovy. As of October 1, 2026, Zepbound is back on Caremark's commercial formularies, though each employer's plan decides what you can get, so check yours.

If you were switched in 2025 and Zepbound suited you better, it's worth asking your prescriber and your plan whether you can move back. Switching medicines isn't a simple swap: there's no official dose conversion between Zepbound and Wegovy, so your prescriber picks your starting dose.

Getting a GLP-1 for weight loss through the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge? The Bridge sits outside your Part D plan, so switching to a different drug plan this fall doesn't change it, as long as you still have Medicare drug coverage: a stand-alone Part D plan or a Medicare health plan that includes drug coverage. Some special plan types, such as private fee-for-service plans, cost plans or PACE, don't qualify. The Bridge covers Wegovy (pen, HD and pill), Foundayo and the Zepbound KwikPen for people who meet its health criteria, and it runs through December 31, 2027.

If your GLP-1 is covered for something else, like type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea or heart risk, it goes through your Part D plan. Check the new plan's list of covered drugs before you switch.

Zepbound starts at 2.5 mg a week for 4 weeks, then 5 mg. After at least 4 weeks on a dose, your prescriber can raise it by 2.5 mg at a time, up to 15 mg. For weight loss, 5, 10 and 15 mg are all maintenance doses on the label, so you don't have to reach the top.

We've drawn the whole schedule, plus what a full vial dose looks like on a syringe, from the August 2026 label.

When you can only manage a few bites, the order you eat in matters more than usual. Start with the protein part of a meal (eggs, fish, chicken, beans or yogurt), so you eat it before you fill up.

Yes, with a gap. For Zepbound, the label asks for at least 3 days (72 hours) between two doses. For Wegovy, it's at least 2 days. After that, stick to the new day.