CVS Health Removes Amgen and Lilly's Bone Disease Drugs from Select Lists

• CVS will add biosimilars of Amgen's Prolia (including Ospomyv and Stoboclo) and generics of Lilly's Forteo to major national commercial formularies, with Prolia generating $1.05 billion in global sales for Amgen in 2025
• The switch is projected to lower costs by more than 50% per prescription, building on CVS's biosimilar strategy that has generated $1.5 billion in gross savings to date
• CVS's Caremark, along with Cigna's Express Scripts and UnitedHealth's Optum Rx, controls 80% of the U.S. prescription drug market as pharmacy benefit managers

CVS Health Removes Amgen and Lilly Bone Disease Drugs from Formularies

CVS Health announced Thursday it will replace Amgen's Prolia and Eli Lilly's Forteo with lower-cost biosimilar and generic alternatives on select preferred drug lists, effective April 1, 2025.

Key Changes:

CVS's pharmacy benefit management unit, Caremark, will add biosimilar versions of Prolia—including Ospomyv (sold by CVS subsidiary Cordavis) and Celltrion's Stoboclo—to major national commercial formularies. The company will also include generic versions of Forteo, such as Bonsity and Tymlos.

Financial Impact:

The transition is expected to reduce costs by more than 50% per prescription compared to branded drugs. CVS reports its biosimilar formulary strategy has generated $1.5 billion in gross savings for customers to date. Amgen reported global Prolia sales of approximately $1.05 billion in 2025, making this formulary exclusion financially significant.

Patent Context:

Key U.S. patents for Prolia, used to treat osteoporosis and other bone conditions, expired in 2025, while Forteo's primary patents expired in 2019, enabling biosimilar and generic competition.

Broader Strategy:

This move mirrors CVS's 2024 decision to exclude AbbVie's Humira in favor of biosimilars, which achieved a 96% conversion rate among Caremark members. The strategy reflects growing industry pressure to reduce prescription drug costs through biosimilar adoption.

Market Context:

Three PBMs—CVS's Caremark, Cigna's Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth's Optum Rx—control 80% of the U.S. prescription drug market, giving their formulary decisions substantial influence over pharmaceutical sales and patient access.