CVS is now covering long-acting injectable PrEP, representing a shift from last year when the pharmacy giant announced it was not yet moving forward with that specific form of the HIV prevention medication.
The drug, Gilead’s lenacapavir, which is marketed under the brand name Yeztugo, is just one of multiple forms of PrEP, which includes both oral and injectable options. It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last June. A different form of injectable PrEP, cabotegravir, which ViiV Healthcare offers under the name Apretude, is administered every other month.
The news was revealed by CVS CEO Daniel O’Day on Jan. 12 at a conference in San Francisco, according to Reuters.
“CVS has confirmed their coverage of Yeztugo as of January 1, putting us at more than 80% (insurer) coverage overall,” O’Day said. Yeztugo costs $30,000 per year, according to Reuters.
PrEP is endorsed by the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a powerful advisory body responsible for recommending which screening tests or preventive medications should be covered under the Affordable Care Act. Services given an “A” or “B” rating by the USPSTF must be covered, and PrEP received an “A” grade. The advisory body, however, has faced headwinds from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who canceled a scheduled USPSTF meeting last July.
In August, a spokesperson for CVS told Gay City News that the PSPSTF had not yet added Yeztugo to the list of recommended PrEP therapies.
CVS’ reluctance to cover Yeztugo prompted 65 organizations to sign a joint letter in September calling on the pharmacy to “reconsider this decision and cover Yeztugo without delay.”
The HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, which led that letter, welcomed the latest news.
“We are pleased that CVS Health has finally decided to cover this groundbreaking new PrEP medication,” HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute executive director Carl Schmid said in a written sttaement. “With this coverage decision, CVS joins other leading payers and PBMs in covering the new medication.”
Still, Schmid cautioned that coverage does not solve everything, adding that many people are still required to pay co-pays, while some employers — such as Delta Air Lines — are only offering daily generic oral PrEP but require prior authorization for PrEP branded medications.
