Despite continued growth in the popularity of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs such as Zepbound and Wegovy, commercial insurance coverage often is becoming more restrictive.
“The number of people with no commercial insurance coverage for Zepbound increased by over 180% in 2025, leaving over 97 million people with no coverage,” a new study from GoodRx found. “For those who have insurance coverage, over 90% still have to meet additional requirements like prior authorization.”
CVS Caremark removed Zepbound from its standard formulary in July, which means the share of people with unrestricted coverage has fallen from 9% to 5% since 2024. There was an even larger drop in restricted coverage, which fell from 73% to 45%.
As a result, the number of people with no coverage increased from 18% to 51%, leaving more 97 million people with no insurance coverage for Zepbound.
Meanwhile, access to Wegovy has improved slightly compared to last year, due in part to CVS Caremark’s decision to prefer Wegovy on its standard formulary. Since 2024, he number of people with unrestricted coverage declined from 14% to 10%, reducing unrestricted access to Wegovy. However, the number of people with restricted coverage rose from 67% to 75%.
“As a result, over six million people gained some form of commercial insurance coverage for Wegovy in 2025,” the report said. “Despite this improvement, over 28 million people still lack commercial insurance coverage for Wegovy.”
Overall coverage has shifted to a lesser degree for Ozempic and Mounjaro. Although more than 1.8 million people gained coverage for Mounjaro, more than 660,000 people still lack coverage. Commercial insurance coverage for Ozempic, the most-filled GLP-1 prescription, has remained largely the same, with nearly five million people lacking coverage.
With the introduction of generic liraglutide, commercial insurance coverage also has worsened for brand-name Victoza and Saxenda in 2025. The number of people without insurance coverage has increased by 120% and 49%, respectively. In 2025, at least 23 million people gained coverage for generic liraglutide. However, at least 41 million people lost coverage for Victoza, and more than 16 million people lost coverage for Saxenda.
“Altogether, nearly 10% of people with commercial insurance -- about 19 million people -- lack coverage for any of the GIP and GLP-1 agonists prescribed for weight loss in 2025,” the report said. “That means if they are prescribed Wegovy, Zepbound or Saxenda, their insurance will not cover it.”
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