US retail giants vie for GLP-1 weight-loss drug market as companies cut coverage

Industry
โดย Money & Banking·Read original
Summary · why it matters

US companies are gradually dropping coverage for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy and Zepbound, pushing more patients to buy medications through direct-to-consumer platforms. This opens the door for retail giants like Walmart, Costco, CVS, and Amazon to rapidly expand health services and draw customers into their own ecosystems. Analysts view the monthly refill prescriptions as a tool for building long-term customer relationships. Eric Bormel, managing director of digital health at Solomon Partners, says retailers are competing to become the first point of care for obesity patients. Meanwhile, drugmakers like Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have launched DTC programs with price promotions, such as LillyDirect charging around 299 to 449 dollars per month and NovoCare starting at just 199 dollars per month. Costco has partnered with Sesame to sell Wegovy for about 349 dollars per month for members. Walmart, with roughly 4,600 pharmacies, has expanded its Better Care Services platform to become a comprehensive health service hub. Amazon offers medication starting at just 25 dollars per month through Amazon Pharmacy, with same-day delivery in nearly 3,000 cities. A Mercer survey indicates that 6 percent of large employers dropped GLP-1 drug coverage this year after treatment costs surged, with the share of claims for this drug class rising to 11.4 percent from 6.9 percent in 2023. This intensifies competition among retailers and puts heavy pressure on independent pharmacies.

Impact on stocks 7

Biotech & Genomic Medicine± Mixed · 2 stocks
Eli Lilly and Company
LLY
▲ PositiveDemandrelevance

Eli Lilly's DTC program LillyDirect offers price promotions, increasing drug sales.

Novo Nordisk A/S
NOV
▼ NegativeDemandrelevance

Companies dropping coverage pushes patients to DTC platforms, potentially reducing Novo's direct sales and increasing competition from retailers.

Consumer Staples▲ · 2 stocks
Walmart Inc.
WMT
▲ PositiveDemandrelevance

Walmart expands health services to sell GLP-1 drugs, attracting customers to its ecosystem.

Costco Wholesale Corp
COST
▲ PositiveDemandrelevance

Costco partners with Sesame to sell Wegovy, expanding health services and customer engagement.

Artificial Intelligence▲ · 1 stocks
Amazon.com Inc
AMZN
▲ PositiveDemandrelevance

Amazon Pharmacy offers low-cost GLP-1 drugs, attracting patients and boosting pharmacy demand.

Health Care▲ · 1 stocks
CVS Health Corp
CVS
▲ PositiveDemandrelevance

CVS can leverage its pharmacies to capture GLP-1 prescriptions as employers drop coverage.

Financials▲ · 1 stocks

Off-coverage companies 2

Sesame CarePrivate± Mixed
relevance

Solomon PartnersPrivate± Mixed
relevance

© 2026 MarketDXNews