Best views, weather, etc. How to test them 👓 SC, Ala. sites look back Betty Ford honored
NEWS
Pfizer

CVS drops Viagra, other drugs, from insurance coverage

Trisha Thadani
USA TODAY
CVS/Caremark drops 26 drugs from coverage.

Beginning in 2016, CVS/Caremark insurance will no longer cover a list of more than two dozen drugs — including Viagra.

CVS/Caremark will drop 26 drugs that are covered under its prescription drug insurance, CVS spokeswoman Christine Cramer confirmed to USA TODAY. As the specified drugs are removed from the company's coverage, drugs that are considered "equally effective products with lower overall costs," will remain on the list, which is called a formulary.

These changes will be effective Jan. 1.

For example, those customers who take Pfizer's Viagra, a well-known medication for erectile dysfunction, can still find the drug on CVS shelves, but the company will no longer help with the cost. However, customers will still be able to receive coverage for Eli Lilly & Co.'s Cialis, which the company deemed a cheaper, yet adequate alternative.

CVS does not provide specific comment about individual drugs removed from the formulary, Cramer said.

"Clinical acceptability of the drugs included in the standard formulary is among our primary considerations, enabling us to continue to provide plan members with access to high quality products within all covered classes of drugs," Cramer said in an email. "For those drugs that are removed, equally effective products with lower overall costs remain available on the formulary."

This move comes as drugs hit an age of astronomical prices. Spending on prescription drugs last year reached a record-breaking $374 billion, up 13% from 2013, the largest percentage increase in more than a decade.

Since 2102, CVS's list of excluded drugs has increased from 34 to 124 in 2016, according to CNN/Money. CVS's competitor, Express Scripts Holding Co., will continue to cover Viagra and Cialis in 2016, according to the list it published this week.

Other drugs removed from CVS/Caremark's formulary include:

  • Abilify (antipsychotic)
  • Amitiza (irritable bowel disease)
  • Cymbalta (depression)
  • Fosrenol (kidney disease)
  • Diovan (high blood pressure)

The full list of the formulary drug removals can be found here.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Trisha Thadani on Twitter: @TrishaThadani

Featured Weekly Ad