CVS Caremark Adds GI Med Voquezna to its Formularies

CVS Caremark has added Voquezna (vonoprazan) tablets to its commercial formularies.

The FDA approved Voquezna in November 2023 to treat adults with erosive esophagitis, also known as erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). It is also indicated as a maintenance therapy for erosive GERD and for the relief of heartburn associated with erosive GERD.

Erosive GERD affects about 20 million people in the United States. Patients with inadequately treated erosive GERD may develop more severe diseases including Barrett’s esophagus, a condition in which esophageal tissue changes can progress to cancer.

Developed by Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Voquezna is a novel potassium-competitive acid blocker (PCAB), which has a mechanism similar to proton pump inhibitors but with a more rapid action and that doesn’t require dosing 30 minutes before meals.

The wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) of Voquezna tablets is $650 for a (10 mg and 20 mg) 30-count bottle. Phathom is also offering programs for commercial patients who face coverage or affordability issues, including co-pay assistance where commercial patients may pay as little as $25. Their copay assistance program has an annual cap of $2,820.

Company officials said in a news release that more than 116 million commercially covered lives now have access to Voquezna, or 77% of commercial lives.

CVS Caremark is requiring step therapy through a generic prescription proton pump inhibitor before providing coverage.

Related: Express Scripts Adds Voquezna to Formulary for Gastroesophageal Reflux

In February, Express Scripts added Voquezna to its formularies, and Cigna Healthcare added the GI drug to formularies in May 2024.

As of April 26, 2024, when the company announced its first quarter 2024 results, more than 17,500 prescriptions for Voquenza had been filled through retail pharmacies and BlinkRx, the company’s fulfillment channel. The prescriber base also continues to expand with more than 3,800 unique prescribers.