How Distributors Facilitate Patient Access to Specialty Therapies
Specialty pharmaceuticals — complex medications that require special handling, administration and ongoing clinical support — are reshaping healthcare delivery. These therapies offer hope for patients living with serious or chronic conditions; however, specialty medications are also introducing unprecedented complexity in how products are being manufactured, transported and accessed.
Specialty distributors are bridging the gap between scientific breakthroughs and patient access, given the industry’s critical role and a thriving marketplace. As detailed in the HDA Research Foundation’s 2025 Specialty Pharmaceutical Distribution Facts, Figures and Trends, specialty distributors are meeting the greater demand through innovation and coordination across the healthcare supply chain.
Here are three key themes from the report.
- Complexity requires customization and earlier engagement with multidisciplinary teams.
Specialty medicines — including biologics and cell and gene therapies — comprise a rapidly expanding sector. This continued growth reflects a broader shift toward more targeted, personalized treatments given advances across oncology, autoimmune disease, neurology, rare disease and next-generation treatments.
Each specialty therapy has unique requirements around manufacturing, cold chain management, reimbursement and provider education. For example, unlike traditional biologics with years-long shelf lives, many advanced therapies only remain viable for 12 to 96 hours, making real-time coordination with manufacturers and providers essential.
Specialty distributors work closely with manufacturers to streamline the commercialization process and scale their products, providing the necessary infrastructure to launch new products across the United States. On average, specialty distributors partner with 170 manufacturers to reach 32,872 unique delivery points across all 50 states.
Distributors help develop tailored launch strategies and design customized, yet scalable, supply chains for each new specialty product to ensure medicines move safely and efficiently from development to patients.
- Cencora, for example, works with manufacturers to connect real-world insights with advanced analytic tools to optimize performance at every stage — from shaping pre-market research and guiding clinical trials to strengthening brand strategy and supporting long-term success.
- With both limited distribution and exclusive distribution models, Morris & Dickson works with the manufacturer to proactively identify and address any potential barriers that could delay access — ensuring providers can order seamlessly and patients receive therapy as quickly as possible.
Early planning and ongoing collaboration between distributors and manufacturers are critical to a successful launch and patient access to these life-changing innovations.
- Coldchain capacity must expand, and distributors are preparing for it.
As specialty therapies evolve, cold chain requirements are becoming increasingly stringent. Many advanced and ultra-specialty products now require ultra-cold or cryogenic conditions to maintain stability and efficacy. Demand is already accelerating; as of 2021, 58 percent of the top 50 drugs require refrigeration, up from 49 percent in 2017. Cell and gene therapies and mRNA technologies are expected to further intensify this shift.
To meet these demands, distributors are expanding their cold chain infrastructure and individualized handling protocols while investing in advanced technologies.
HDA members illustrate what this evolution looks like in practice:
- Cardinal Health operates one of the nation’s largest and most sophisticated specialty distribution networks, with strategically located distribution centers that feature more than 40,000 square feet of cold-chain storage and proactive shipment monitoring that can deliver anywhere in the U.S. within 24 hours.
- McKesson’s purpose-built cold-chain infrastructure for cell and gene therapies combines ultra-cold storage and real-time product management capabilities to protect complex products from end to end. McKesson has a dedicated 12,000-square-foot cold chain space for cell and gene therapy within its distribution center in Louisville, Kentucky, and across their network they have doubled cold chain capacity year-over-year to meet the growing demand for complex therapies.
- Morris & Dickson pairs advanced cold chain shipment technology with real-time temperature monitoring to deliver secure, dependable shipments from warehouse to patient.
As cold chain demands increase, distributors’ investments are enabling the development of more advanced modalities that have the potential to change patient lives and provide the infrastructure needed to launch new treatments across the country.
- The supply chain must scale to meet the next wave of specialty therapies.
On average, distributors fulfill nearly 4,900 specialty orders per day and achieve a 99.1 percent fill rate over a one-day delivery window. These efficiencies underscore the industry’s central role in ensuring reliable patient access as pipelines grow.
As advanced and ultra-specialty therapies expand, distributors are preparing to support broader provider networks beyond narrow launch models, recognizing that long-term access will require participation from more hospitals and community-based providers.
To meet the demands of higher-volume, multi-dose, and highly personalized therapies, distributors are investing in expanded cold chain and cryogenic capacity, specialized transportation, and certified quality systems to ensure products meet stringent regulatory and product integrity requirements.
As the specialty pharmaceutical landscape becomes more personalized, complex and technologically advanced, distributors will remain central to its success. Through strategic partnerships, the industry enables manufacturers to stay focused on innovation and production while ensuring that therapies — no matter how advanced or complex — reach patients safely, securely and reliably.