CVS Caremark to remove Stelara from commercial formularies

Beginning July 1, 2026, CVS Caremark will transition from Stelara (ustekinumab) on its most common commercial template formularies to preferring the interchangeable biosimilars Pyzchiva and Yesintek. Most members will pay $0 out-of-pocket.

“We’ll use the same proven playbook that allowed us to be the only one to meaningfully move share with Humira, converting over 90% of eligible patients by delivering the same frictionless experience for providers and patients,” David Joyner, CVS Health Chairman and CEO, said during this morning’s earnings call with investors.

Stelara and its biosimilars treat patients with psoriatic arthritis, plaque psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, pediatric plaque psoriasis, and pediatric psoriatic arthritis. Ustekinumab and its biosimilars are human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that selectively target the p40 protein, a component common to both interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-23 cytokines, which play crucial roles in treating immune-mediated diseases.

Stelara, developed by Johnson & Johnson, was originally approved by the FDA in 2009 for the treatment of adults with moderate to severe psoriasis. Stelara has a list price of $25,497.12 every 8 weeks for the 90 mg dose. In 2025, Stelara generated sales of $6.6 billion worldwide, down 41% from the year before.

Pyzchiva (ustekinumab-ttwe), developed by Samsung Bioepis and commercialized by Sandoz, was launched in February 2025 at a list price that is 80% below Stelara. Biocon Biologics’s Yesintek (ustekinumab-kfce) was also launched in February 2025 at a price that was about 90% off Stelara.

Additionally, CVS Caremark is expanding biosimilar coverage across other categories, including treatments for multiple sclerosis and rare blood disorders, to include biosimilars of Tysabri (with biosimilar Tyruko and biologic alternative Briumvi) and Soliris (biosimilar Epysqli).

Related: CVS Caremark to Remove Branded Humira from Formularies

CVS Caremark had announced in January 2024 that it would remove brand-name Humira from several of its formularies, replacing it with biosimilar alternatives. The change took effect April 1, 2024.

CVS Health first quarter earnings

CVS Health posted first-quarter revenue of more than $100 billion, a gain of over 6% compared with the same period last year, with growth across all operating segments. Adjusted operating income came in at approximately $5.2 billion — up more than 12% year over year — while adjusted earnings per share landed at $2.57, a more than 14% increase from the prior-year quarter.

The company also announced the introduction of Health100, an AI-based consumer health platform that is scheduled to debut later this year. It will use Google Cloud’s AI technologies to deliver a fully integrated healthcare engagement platform. The new app is designed as an open platform that allows any payer, PBM, pharmacy, or provider to connect, regardless of which insurance card a patient carries or which pharmacy banner they use.

“We believe the future of best-in-class healthcare companies will be powered by technology and AI,” Joyner said. “We see an immense opportunity for technology to drive systemic change across the entire healthcare industry. That is why we’ve been embedding it in everything that we do. AI has been deployed at CVS for years to improve our operations and to drive efficiencies, but what we are most excited about and believe will have the biggest impact is AI’s ability to improve consumer experiences, engagement and outcomes.”