We estimate that for 2016, retail, mail, specialty, and long-term care pharmacies dispensed about $115 billion in specialty pharmaceuticals. (See Our Exclusive 2021 Outlook for Specialty Pharmacy Prescription Revenues.) How many specialty pharmacies are operating in the market? What types of organizations own these pharmacies?
With the help of a renowned mathematician (pictured at right), we collected data about specialty pharmacy accreditation and then categorized each pharmacy location based on ownership. Our exclusive findings:
- The number of accredited specialty pharmacies is still booming. We counted more than 2,500 pharmacy locations with specialty accreditation. (But see our important caveat about this figure below.)
- Pharmacy locations owned by healthcare providers—such as hospitals, health systems, physician practices, and providers’ group purchasing organizations—were the fastest-growing category of accredited specialty pharmacies.
Bottom line: A growing number and diversity of pharmacies are battling for control of the specialty market. Pharmacies owned by PBMs, wholesalers, insurers, retailers, and providers can now prove that they are special. Manufacturers and payers will need to figure out how to handle this increased competition and the associated demands for new network designs.
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