As evidence grows supporting the potential health benefits of obesity drugs like Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly & Co.’s Zepbound, so too — frustratingly — do the barriers to accessing them.

The latest obstacle is a deal between Novo Nordisk and CVS Caremark, the pharmacy benefit manager, or PBM, for many of the nation’s employers. Under the agreement, Wegovy is now the preferred treatment, while Zepbound is no longer covered for most people.

The change, which took effect in July, affects potentially tens of thousands of privately insured Americans. As one of the country’s three largest PBMs, Caremark manages prescription drug access for approximately 103 million people.

Caremark’s decision means patients who had been successfully using Zepbound face a difficult choice: switch to We

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