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Express Scripts

Evernorth Health Services, part of The Cigna Group · 7 documents cited · Read October 2026

Lists Wegovy, the Zepbound pen and Foundayo for 2026 and 2027, and excludes Saxenda and the Zepbound KwikPen and vials.

American GLP, Publisher · Who writes this site

Express Scripts doesn't decide whether your plan covers weight-loss drugs. Your employer or your carrier does. What Express Scripts publishes is the template list most of its clients start from, and which form of each drug that list prefers.

That second part matters more than it sounds. On the 2026 National Preferred Formulary the Zepbound pen is listed and the Zepbound KwikPen and vials are excluded, so the same drug can be covered or refused depending on the form your prescriber wrote. Saxenda is excluded too, with generic liraglutide covered in its place.

The 2027 lists are already out, and the weight-loss rows haven't moved: Foundayo, liraglutide, Wegovy HD, Wegovy pens, Wegovy tablets and the Zepbound pen are all on them.

Which forms of each drug are on the 2026 list?

The 2026 National Preferred Formulary lists Foundayo, liraglutide, Wegovy HD, Wegovy pens, Wegovy tablets and the Zepbound pen. The exclusions list for the same year names the Zepbound KwikPen and Zepbound vials under Weight Loss, and gives the listed forms as the alternatives.

So if a pharmacy tells you Zepbound isn't covered, check the form before you appeal. A request for the KwikPen or a vial can be refused on a plan that would pay for the pen.

What happens to Saxenda?

Saxenda sits on the 2026 exclusions list as a brand with a generic equivalent, and the list's own legend says the generic is covered. In plain terms: ask for liraglutide, not Saxenda, and the drug is the same.

Does anything change in 2027?

The 2027 National Preferred and Basic formularies list the same six weight-loss entries. The 2027 exclusions document is now available: its Weight Loss row excludes Zepbound KwikPens and vials, with liraglutide, Foundayo, Wegovy HD, Wegovy pens and tablets, and Zepbound pens listed as preferred alternatives. Confirm the formulation on the prescription and your own plan’s benefit.

What is the $200 cap, and can you ask for it?

In May 2025 Evernorth announced a benefit option that caps what a member pays for a GLP-1 weight-loss drug at $200 a month, and counts it toward the deductible. It's an option an employer buys. You can't opt into it yourself, so the question to ask HR is whether your plan added it.

Every claim above, with the document behind it

These are the policies we opened and the month we opened them. Each one carries its own policy number and effective date on its face, and those are printed here as the document shows them.

Read September 2026

The 2026 National Preferred Formulary lists "FOUNDAYO", "liraglutide [INJ]", "WEGOVY HD [INJ]", "WEGOVY PENS [INJ]", "WEGOVY TABLETS" and "ZEPBOUND PEN [INJ]", and states: "THIS DOCUMENT LIST IS EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2026, THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2026. THIS LIST IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE."

Express Scripts, 2026 Express Scripts National Preferred Formulary (PRMT22157-26), effective July 2026 · source

The 2026 exclusions list names "ZEPBOUND KWIKPENS, ZEPBOUND VIALS" under Weight Loss, with "liraglutide, FOUNDAYO, WEGOVY HD, WEGOVY PENS, WEGOVY TABLETS, ZEPBOUND PENS" as the preferred alternatives, and adds: "Not all the medications listed are covered by all prescription plans; check your benefit materials."

Express Scripts, 2026 National Preferred Formulary Exclusions (EXCL-NPF-26), effective July 2026 · source

Saxenda is on the same exclusions list, marked with a caret whose legend reads: "Brand exclusions with generic equivalents – The generic equivalent of this brand-name medication is covered under your plan."

Express Scripts, 2026 National Preferred Formulary Exclusions (EXCL-NPF-26), effective July 2026 · source

The 2027 National Preferred Formulary lists Foundayo, liraglutide, Wegovy HD, Wegovy pens, Wegovy tablets and the Zepbound pen, and states: "THIS DOCUMENT LIST IS EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2027, THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2027. THIS LIST IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE."

Express Scripts, 2027 National Preferred Formulary (CRP1678902 #1702 NP), effective August 2026 · source

The 2027 Basic Formulary lists the same weight-loss entries — Foundayo, liraglutide, Wegovy HD, Wegovy pens, Wegovy tablets and the Zepbound pen — for January 1 through December 31, 2027.

Express Scripts, 2027 Basic Formulary (CRP1679102 #2225 Basic), effective August 2026 · source

Evernorth's benefit option for weight-loss GLP-1s: "The monthly copay for GLP-1 weight loss medicines will be limited to no more than $200, which will have the added benefit of counting towards the patient's annual deductible." It adds that "The prior authorization processes accompanying the new offering will be simplified and automated for faster access."

Evernorth Health Services, newsroom release on its weight-loss benefit option, effective May 2025 · source

Express Scripts added the weight-loss drugs to its Patient Assurance Program: "With these agreements, the weight loss drugs Wegovy and Zepbound are being added to the solution, and diabetes medications Ozempic and Rybelsus will return to the Patient Assurance Program."

Evernorth Health Services, "Express Scripts expands Patient Assurance Program to drive affordability and access to GLP-1s", effective July 2025 · source

Read October 2026

The 2027 National Preferred Formulary Exclusions document, printed August 1, 2026, excludes Zepbound KwikPens and Zepbound vials under Weight Loss. Preferred alternatives are liraglutide, Foundayo, Wegovy HD, Wegovy pens, Wegovy tablets and Zepbound pens. The introduction warns that individual prescription plans may not cover every listed medication.

Express Scripts, 2027 National Preferred Formulary Exclusions, effective January 2027 · source

What these documents cannot tell you

Everything above is what Express Scripts publishes as a template. Your employer or carrier decides whether the weight-loss benefit exists, and can change the list it adopts.

  • A formulary listing isn't coverage. The exclusions list says itself that not every listed drug is covered by every plan, and many employers don't buy the weight-loss benefit at all.
  • Express Scripts doesn't publish its commercial prior-authorization criteria for these drugs, so the BMI and program rules your plan applies can't be read from outside it.
  • The $200 cap and the Patient Assurance Program are options a plan sponsor chooses. Neither is something a member can enroll in directly.
  • The 2027 exclusions list was retrieved in October 2026. It is a template and remains subject to your plan’s benefit terms and subsequent updates.

Where this comes from

Read September 2026 unless marked.

  1. Express Scripts, 2026 Express Scripts National Preferred Formulary (PRMT22157-26), effective July 2026 — Open the document
  2. Express Scripts, 2026 National Preferred Formulary Exclusions (EXCL-NPF-26), effective July 2026 — Open the document
  3. Express Scripts, 2027 National Preferred Formulary (CRP1678902 #1702 NP), effective August 2026 — Open the document
  4. Express Scripts, 2027 Basic Formulary (CRP1679102 #2225 Basic), effective August 2026 — Open the document
  5. Evernorth Health Services, newsroom release on its weight-loss benefit option, effective May 2025 — Open the document
  6. Evernorth Health Services, "Express Scripts expands Patient Assurance Program to drive affordability and access to GLP-1s", effective July 2025 — Open the document
  7. Express Scripts, 2027 National Preferred Formulary Exclusions, effective January 2027 — Open the document (read October 2026)

Where to go next

American GLP is not a law firm, an insurer, a government office or a clinician, and nothing here is legal or medical advice. This page describes what Express Scripts publishes. It is not affiliated with Evernorth Health Services, part of The Cigna Group, and your own plan documents and your own notice govern your case. Policies carry effective dates and change — read the sources before you act.