Drug Channels

MAY 23, 2023

In 2022, the PBM market remained highly consolidated—although there were some intriguing share shifts among the largest players. Below, you’ll find Drug Channels Institute's latest estimates of pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) market share based on equivalent prescription claims. to 1:30 p.m.

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Drug Channels

MARCH 12, 2024

Pharmacies and Pharmacy Benefit Managers. prescription dispensing revenues reached $621 billion in 2023, driven by accelerating GLP-1 prescriptions and an expanding post-pandemic market. How will the most consequential change in federal drug pricing policy affect the largest pharmacies and PBMs? to 1:30 p.m.

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Drug Channels

MARCH 8, 2023

Pharmacies and Pharmacy Benefit Managers. The largest 15 pharmacies accounted for more than 75% of total dispensing revenues from retail, mail, long-term care, and specialty pharmacies. How will GoodRx and Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company affect the pharmacy industry? to 1:30 p.m.

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Drug Channels

APRIL 23, 2025

Last week, we examined the growing concentration of specialty drug dispensing revenues among the largest pharmacies. See The Top 15 Specialty Pharmacies of 2024: How PBMs, Health Systems, and Independents Are Shaping the Market. Today, we dive deeper. Drawing from DCIs new 2025 Economic Report on U.S.

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Drug Channels

MARCH 15, 2022

Pharmacies and Pharmacy Benefit Managers , available for purchase and immediate download. Prescription Market (press release) We’re offering special discounted pricing if you order before March 28, 2022. Prescription Market (press release) We’re offering special discounted pricing if you order before March 28, 2022.

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Drug Channels

FEBRUARY 21, 2023

Pharmacies and Pharmacy Benefit Managers. Pharmacies and Pharmacy Benefit Managers is a definitive, nonpartisan resource that includes the most current information about pharmacy dispensing channels, third-party payers, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), patients’ financial contributions, government regulations, and much more.

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Drug Channels

JUNE 16, 2025

This week, I’m rerunning some popular posts while I prepare for Friday’s live video webinar: What’s Next for Retail Pharmacy: Data, Debate, and Disruption. Pharmacies and Pharmacy Benefit Managers. I’ll be joined by special guest Antonio Ciaccia, CEO of 46brooklyn Research, and President of 3 Axis Advisors.

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Drug Channels

MARCH 14, 2023

Pharmacies and Pharmacy Benefit Managers , available for purchase and immediate download. Prescription Market (press release) We’re offering special discounted pricing if you order before April 3, 2023. Prescription Market (press release) We’re offering special discounted pricing if you order before April 3, 2023.

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Drug Channels

MAY 20, 2025

Fein, president of Drug Channels Institute (DCI) and the author of Drug Channels , invites you to join him for DCIs new live video webinar: Whats Next for Retail Pharmacy: Data, Debate, and Disruption This event will be broadcast live on: Friday, June 20, 2025 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. You can reset the cart by entering 0 in the quantity field.)

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Drug Channels

APRIL 9, 2024

Three is still the magic number for pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). Read on for Drug Channels Institute’s (DCI’s) latest market share figures, along with a preview of the industry changes that will shift these shares over the next few years.

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Drug Channels

JUNE 10, 2025

The 340B Drug Pricing Program has emerged as a growing source of profits for pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). pharmacy industry—function as contract pharmacies for the hospitals and federal grantees that participate in the 340B program. It was meant to be part of patient care.” Fein, Ph.D.,

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Drug Channels

AUGUST 6, 2024

In the video excerpt below, I walk through a brief history of 340B contract pharmacies. I conclude with a “follow the dollar” example of 340B prescription economics with contract pharmacies. If this clip whets your appetite for more, register to watch a replay of the full 90-minute video webinar from June. All rights reserved.

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Drug Channels

APRIL 12, 2023

In Drug Channels Institute’s list of the top 15 pharmacies of 2022 , we show that central-fill, mail pharmacies operated by large PBMs and health insurers have displaced retail chains as the largest prescription drug dispensers by revenues. Read more » Copyright © 2006-2023 Pembroke Consulting, Inc. d/b/a Drug Channels Institute.

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On Medicine

SEPTEMBER 11, 2023

The Lifeguard Pharmacy study tests whether a community pharmacy response service would offer a discreet and accessible help-seeking avenue for people experiencing suicidal ideation and/or domestic abuse. Monthly visits to the pharmacies by the research team monitored intervention fidelity. How did we do it?

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Drug Channels

MARCH 1, 2022

Our exclusive analysis of these numbers finds that for 2022, an astounding 99% of seniors are enrolled in the wonderland of PDPs with preferred pharmacy networks. Below, we use the new enrollment data to examine the major pharmacy chains’ position within the 27 major Part D plans that have preferred networks. DOWN THE DATA RABBIT HOLE.

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Drug Channels

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

As many of you know, hospitals and health systems have emerged as significant participants in the specialty pharmacy industry. A new American Society of Hospital Pharmacists (ASHP) survey provides fresh insights into these specialty pharmacies. Below, I review key findings on the economics and operations of these specialty pharmacies.

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Drug Patent Watch

DECEMBER 10, 2024

Domestic Market Growth India’s domestic pharmaceutical market has consistently outpaced the overall economy, with a growth rate two to three percent higher annually. The “Ayushman Bharat Yojana” scheme, which aims to provide affordable healthcare to citizens, has further boosted the domestic market’s prospects.

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Drug Channels

MARCH 7, 2023

Fein, CEO of Drug Channels Institute (DCI) and the author of Drug Channels , invites you to join him for a new video webinar: Discount Cards, Cost-Plus Pharmacies, and PBMs: Trends, Controversies, and Outlook This event will be broadcast live on Friday, March 31, 2023, from 12:00 p.m. Pharmacies and Pharmacy Benefit Managers.

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Drug Channels

MARCH 27, 2023

This week, I’m rerunning some popular posts while I prepare for this Friday’s live video webinar: Discount Cards, Cost-Plus Pharmacies, and PBMs: Trends, Controversies, and Outlook. The rise of discount card pricing within pharmacy benefit plans is a positive development. Links below. d/b/a Drug Channels Institute.

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Drug Channels

JULY 11, 2022

Informa Connect's Hub and Specialty Pharmacy Models West. September 14-15, 2022 Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina | San Diego, CA www.informaconnect.com/hub-specialty-pharmacy-west. Delivered as a Hybrid Event. Drug Channels readers will save 10% off the current registration rate when they use code 22DC10 *.

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Drug Channels

NOVEMBER 15, 2023

In Medicare Part D in 2024: The Seven Largest Companies' Preferred Pharmacy Networks and the Coming Collapse of the PDP Market , I documented how those networks now dominate stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plans (PDPs) and have become a major presence in Medicare Advantage prescription drug (MA-PD) plans.

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Drug Channels

OCTOBER 8, 2021

Today’s guest post comes from Bill Dupere, Practice Lead and VP of Market Access Solutions and Eric Willis, VP of Operations Hub and Reimbursement Services at TrialCard. To learn more, please contact Trialcard at sales@trialcard.com or visit them in booth #416 at the upcoming Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit from October 26 to 29, 2021.

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Antidote

JULY 8, 2022

When you head to the pharmacy to pick up medicine, you likely aren’t thinking about all the steps it had to take to get into your hands — but did you know that on average, it takes about ten years for a new medication to make it to market ?

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Drug Channels

JULY 11, 2023

Looks like pharmacy and PBM profiteering within the 340B Drug Pricing Program will never go out of style. Drug Channels Institute’s (DCI) latest analysis reveals that more than 33,000 pharmacy locations —more than half of the entire U.S. Read on for my latest effort to pierce these little webs of 340B opacity.

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Drug Channels

MAY 24, 2022

As the market for patient-paid prescriptions has expanded, disputes about the appropriate split of these spreads will pressure pharmacy-PBM relationships and drive change in the discount card business model. As I explain below, the unnamed chain appears to be Kroger— the sixth-largest U.S.

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Drug Channels

NOVEMBER 15, 2022

The rise of discount card pricing within pharmacy benefit plans is a positive development. Patients get access to market prices that can be lower than their PBM’s contracted rate. Links below. All out-of-pocket spending with a discount card counts toward a patient's deductibles, and all prescription activity gets captured.

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Drug Channels

APRIL 5, 2022

The highly-consolidated PBM market notched another year of increased concentration. Consider Drug Channels Institute's latest estimates of pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) market share, shown in the chart below. Significant business relationships among the largest companies continue to shift market share.

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Drug Channels

SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

This week, I’m rerunning some popular posts while I prepare for this Friday’s live video webinar: Drug Channels Update: Buy-and-Bill Market Trends. I was struck by how quickly Cigna’s Express Scripts PBM business has increased revenues and prescriptions from its retail pharmacy network. Links below.

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Drug Channels

JULY 25, 2022

The highly-consolidated PBM market notched another year of increased concentration. Consider Drug Channels Institute's latest estimates of pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) market share, shown in the chart below. Significant business relationships among the largest companies continue to shift market share.

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Drug Channels

JANUARY 23, 2024

In a previous article , I highlighted the largest pharmacy chains that will participate in the 2024 Medicare Part D prescription drug plans (PDP). Plans from Aetna, Humana, WellCare, and UnitedHealthcare will not have any independent pharmacies participating via PSAOs as preferred pharmacies. Look out below!

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Drug Channels

APRIL 26, 2022

In this issue: Green Monster : The 340B market hits new highs in 2021 Not-Free Agents : Big 340B profits for CVS, Walgreens, Express Scripts, et al Batter Up : Fixing the insulin market Pinch Hitters : Walgreens bets on robots Plus, Dr. Glaucomflecken helps UnitedHealthcare celebrate Doctors’ Day! Hope to see you there!

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Drug Channels

APRIL 16, 2025

Drug Channels Institutes (DCIs) latest analysis reveals that PBM-affiliated specialty pharmacies continue to dominate the dispensing of specialty drugs. DCI has identified nearly 1,900 dispensing locations with specialty pharmacy accreditation. Once again, specialty mostly means affiliated with a PBM.

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Perficient: Drug Development

FEBRUARY 11, 2025

This blog post explores the importance of screen reader compatibility in pharmacies, provides practical examples, and discusses why it matters for drug companies’ web pages and mobile applications. This inclusivity is fundamental to providing a positive and equitable customer experience.

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Drug Channels

JULY 20, 2022

In this issue: CVS disassociates itself from its chain pharmacy association Payers are paying attention to ICER Benefits of the biosimilar boom A fantastic takedown of health insurance deductibles Plus, I join the Advisory Board of Alto Pharmacy. Cut through the steamy summer haze with our refreshing selection of articles and insights.

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Drug Channels

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

These include disruption to the now-booming biosimilar market, the prospects of physician/hospital vertical integration that will raise commercial healthcare costs and expand 340B, and the need for complex new processes to administer the IRA's lower pharmacy reimbursements.

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Drug Channels

DECEMBER 12, 2022

These include disruption to the now-booming biosimilar market, the prospects of physician/hospital vertical integration that will raise commercial healthcare costs and expand 340B, and the need for complex new processes to administer the IRA's lower pharmacy reimbursements.

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Drug Channels

FEBRUARY 18, 2025

Small pharmacies have ghosted Medicare Part Ds preferred networksno farewell party, no breakup text, just a quiet exit. A few months ago , DCI highlighted how the largest pharmacy chains are participating as preferred cost sharing pharmacies in the 2025 stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) networks. Abracadabra!

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