New Drug Channels Institute Study Reveals the 10 Companies Dominating Specialty Pharmacy, Identifies Key Trends Affecting Profitability

Today the Drug Channels Institute, a leading management educator for and about the pharmaceutical industry, released its exclusive, in-depth analysis of the rapidly expanding specialty pharmacy industry. “The specialty pharmaceutical boom is reshaping the pharmacy industry’s market structure. Ten companies account for 70% of specialty pharmacy revenues,” said Drug Channels Institute CEO Adam J. Fein, Ph.D., the study's author and a widely regarded expert on pharmacy economics and the pharmaceutical supply chain.

The report also reveals which pharmacies are profiting from the expensive specialty medications that treat such illnesses as cancer, multiple sclerosis, and hepatitis C. “Such companies as Express Scripts (ESRX), UnitedHealth (UNH), Catamaran (CTRX), Humana (HUM), and Prime Therapeutics operate some of the biggest specialty pharmacies,” Fein adds. Hospitals, physicians, and independent companies like Diplomat Pharmacy (DPLO) are vying for position in the booming specialty drug market.”

These findings are among the many new revelations and trends in Drug Channels Institute’s just-released 2014-15 Economic Report on Retail, Mail, and Specialty Pharmacies, the sixth edition of this widely respected analysis. This unique, 213-page report remains the most comprehensive tool for analyzing the $305 billion pharmacy industry’s business realities and its interactions with the U.S. healthcare system. With 110 proprietary charts, exhibits, and data tables, this new research report is the only complete examination of prescription economics, market structure, growth rates, and key trends affecting the industry’s profitability.

“The U.S. will soon reach peak generic substation rates,” Fein says. “Retail pharmacies are competing away their generic prescription margins by offering discount programs, competing with mail pharmacies for 90-day prescriptions, and joining payers’ narrow networks.”

What’s more, the institute analyzes the crucial trends that will affect pharmacies. It explores such factors as healthcare reform, biosimilars, the controversial 340B drug pricing program, and retail pharmacy’s globalization trend.

To purchase and immediately download the new report, visit http://drugchannelsinstitute.com/products/industry_report/pharmacy/.

About Drug Channels Institute

Drug Channels Institute, a division of Pembroke Consulting, Inc., is a leading provider of specialized management education and computer-based training for and about the pharmaceutical industry. To learn more about its products, visit http://www.drugchannelsinstitute.com/. To access Dr. Fein’s popular Drug Channels blog, visit http://www.drugchannels.net.