Specialty Pharmacy Market Leaders

Specialty pharmaceuticals represent nearly 55% of drug market and continue to grow its share of the market.

Specialty pharmacy has become an essential consideration for industry stakeholders due to their ability to support complex distribution and patient support services in addition to dispensing drugs.

AMI estimates there are approximately 2,000 unique specialty pharmacy locations, with an increasing number of pharmacies achieving industry accreditation(s).

Industry market share is dominated by the specialty pharmacy businesses of the top three companies: CVS Health, Cigna, and UnitedHealthGroup.

Although approximately one-third of specialty pharmacies operate independently, vertical integration remains a major theme in the specialty pharmacy market as the market leaders are owned by parent entities such as pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), retail pharmacy and food chains, distributors, health insurers, private equity, and pharmacy services companies.

A major theme in the market is the continuing growth trend of hospital-owned specialty pharmacies. AMI estimates that nearly 40% of the specialty pharmacy locations are hospital-owned.

AMI’s recently published report: Specialty Pharmacy Market Leaders 2025 Overview identifies the relationships between parent company and specialty pharmacy in the following market segments:

• Drug Distributors
• Pharmaceutical Benefit Managers
• Retail Pharmacies
• Health Insurers
• Food/Retail Stores
• Pharmacy Services
• Private Equity
• Independents