About 1 in 3 retail pharmacies have closed since 2010: study

Healthcare DIVE December 4, 2024
Emily Olsen

Independent pharmacies were more likely to shut down, possibly because they’re more often excluded from pharmacy benefit managers’ networks, according to the research published in Health Affairs.

Dive Brief:

• About one in three retail pharmacies in the U.S. have closed their doors since 2010, according to a study published Tuesday in Health Affairs.
• Pharmacies shut down at higher rates in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods, as well as in communities with more uninsured or publicly insured residents.
• Independent pharmacies were also at higher risk of closure, possibly because pharmacy benefit managers — middlemen in the drug supply chain — steered patients toward their own pharmacy networks, according to the research.

Dive Insight:

The study, which analyzed closures...

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