Tag: Eliquis

CVS Caremark’s Decision Putting Eliquis Back on Its Formulary Benefits Patients

CVS Caremark’s Decision Putting Eliquis Back on Its Formulary Benefits Patients

Editor’s note: Recently, CVS Caremark reversed its decision to exclude Eliquis (apixaban) from its formulary. This is an update to previous posts on this issue – “CVS Caremark Formulary Exclusion of Eliquis is a Patient Safety Risk,” “Non-Medication Switching is a Patient Safety Issue,” and “How a Patient Battled with CVS Caremark and Won

By Michael Wong, JD (Founder & Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety)

CVS Caremark Puts Patients First By Putting Eliquis Back on Formulary

CVS Caremark has put patients first by putting Eliquis® (apixaban) back on its formulary. By doing so, they have stayed true to their motto – “Your health is our priority. At CVS Caremark, each and every one of us is dedicated to helping you on your path to better health.”

Now, I can’t say the same thing about its decision at the end of 2021, but I’ll let you be the judge of that. In its original decision, CVS Caremark (part of CVS Health) decided to exclude Eliquis from the CVS Caremark Preferred Drug List. Eliquis is “indicated to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with NVAF. Eliquis is indicated for the treatment of DVT [deep vein thrombosis] and PE [pulmonary embolism], and to reduce the risk of recurrent DVT and PE following initial therapy.” Eliquis is a Factor Xa inhibitor and is a Direct Oral Anticoagulant (DOAC). 

Continue reading “CVS Caremark’s Decision Putting Eliquis Back on Its Formulary Benefits Patients”

CVS Caremark Formulary Exclusion of Eliquis is a Patient Safety Risk

CVS Caremark Formulary Exclusion of Eliquis is a Patient Safety Risk

Editor’s note: The recent CVS Caremark decision to exclude Eliquis® (apixaban) from its Preferred Drug List raises critical patient safety issues about whether CVS is illegally practicing medicine and whether CVS actually cares about the patients it professes to serve. In this opinion piece, Michael Wong, JD  (Founder & Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety) discusses these critical patient safety issues and asks patients and clinicians to let CVS know how they feel through two online petitions.


For an update on this issue and how you can voice your concerns to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), please go to the PPAHS blog for March 22.

PPAHS understands that as of July 1, 2022, CVS Caremark will add apixaban (Eliquis®) back to its formulary, reversing its decision to non-medically switch thousands of patients using direct oral anticoagulants. Please follow our blog for updates on this issue.


By Michael Wong, JD (Founder & Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety)

Is CVS Caremark Illegally Practicing Medicine?

Beginning in 2022, CVS Caremark (part of CVS Health) has excluded Eliquis® (apixaban) from the CVS Caremark Preferred Drug List. Eliquis is “indicated to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with NVAF. Eliquis is indicated for the treatment of DVT [deep vein thrombosis] and PE [pulmonary embolism], and to reduce the risk of recurrent DVT and PE following initial therapy.” Eliquis is a Factor Xa inhibitor and is a Direct Oral Anticoagulant (DOAC). 

Continue reading “CVS Caremark Formulary Exclusion of Eliquis is a Patient Safety Risk”