December 5, 2017
ARLINGTON, Va. — The total number of U.S. pharmaceutical sales that went to market through pharmaceutical distributors increased to nearly 95.7 percent in 2016 (nearly two percentage points over the previous year) according to a new report published by the HDA Research Foundation. The Foundation released this new statistic in its 88th Edition HDA Factbook: The Facts, Figures and Trends in Healthcare (2017-2018).
Of the total number of products distributed by pharmaceutical distributors, 98 percent were prescription drugs while 2 percent were non-prescription health products (including over-the-counter medicines, health and personal care, general merchandise, medical equipment and home healthcare items). This year’s Factbook reported that in 2016, on average, primary pharmaceutical distributors handled more than 5,100 orders each day, with a raw order fill rate of 95.3 percent.
“The 2017 Factbook highlights the outside forces that are shaping the pharmaceutical distribution industry, from continued consolidation to upcoming Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) implementation milestones. It continues to provide important metrics to help industry experts and supply chain executives analyze the pharmaceutical supply chain performance,” said Perry Fri, Executive Vice President of Industry Relations, Membership and Education, HDA; and COO of the HDA Research Foundation.
Primary data for the HDA Factbook were collected through a survey of HDA-member distributor companies (reported at the corporate level with annual sales greater than $1 billion), along with secondary data from contributing healthcare and governmental organizations. The book includes detailed information on distributor demographics and characteristics, financials, information systems, distributor operations, the products managed by the supply chain, distributor customers, overall healthcare market characteristics and international healthcare trends.
The 2017 edition is produced with support from silver sponsors Apotex Corp. and Hospital Pharmaceutical Consulting; and bronze sponsors Amneal Pharmaceuticals; Pharmacy First; Smith Drug Company, Div. J M Smith Corporation; and Teva Pharmaceuticals USA.
As noted in this edition of the Factbook:
The 88th Edition HDA Factbook: The Facts, Figures and Trends in Healthcare (2017-2018) is available for a complimentary download through the HDA website.
The Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA) represents primary pharmaceutical distributors — the vital link between the nation’s pharmaceutical manufacturers and pharmacies, hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics and others nationwide. Since 1876, HDA has helped members navigate regulations and innovations to get the right medicines to the right patients at the right time, safely and efficiently. The HDA Research Foundation, HDA’s nonprofit charitable foundation, serves the healthcare industry by providing research and education focused on priority healthcare supply chain issues.