Pharmacy Statistics and Facts: 2021 Update

Over the past year and a half, most of us have seen first-hand the crucial role pharmacies play in our daily lives and enhancing public health overall.

When several states forced nonessential businesses to close their doors at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, pharmacies were among the few companies allowed to stay open. As essential businesses, pharmacies across the country promoted and protected public health through:

• Offering continued access to prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines.
• Providing essential items, including sanitizers, masks, and everyday objects that were disappearing off the shelves in grocery stores (e.g., toilet paper, paper towels, etc.)
• Increasingly filling critical access gaps by coordinating efforts to offer Covid-19 testing and vaccinations, and emergency care.

We’ve compiled the following 2021 pharmacy statistics and facts to demonstrate the importance that pharmacies play in our everyday lives and in times of a public health emergency.

Top Pharmacy Statistics and Facts

Did you know the following pharmacy statistics and facts?

Access to Pharmacies May Impact Patients’ Adherence to Drug Therapies Prescribed by their Physicians

Due to changes in the pharmacy market, more and more independent pharmacies are closing or merging with pharmacy chains. Research has shown that people who filled their prescriptions at a pharmacy that closed are much more likely to simply stop taking their medications than those whose pharmacies remain open.

An Increasing Number of Communities Have No or Little Access to Pharmacies.

Unfortunately, this is occurring more frequently and primarily impacts low-income urban and rural communities. Minority communities often have significantly fewer pharmacies available, and in recent years, several factors have worsened this difficult situation.

Many Ethnic and Racial Minorities are Disproportionately Affected by the Covid-19 Pandemic

Minorities are affected by Covid-19 due to multiple factors,including the higher prevalence of certain chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity, that may increase the risk of severe Covid-19 infection.

Further action is needed to determine how healthcare access, pharmacy access and closures, and disparities in income and elsewhere impact health outcomes.

Additional Pharmacy Facts and Stats

Here are some more recent pharmacy facts:

• The United States is the largest pharmaceutical market in the world.
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) approved 53 novel drug agents in 2020.
• The largest retail pharmacies in the United States include CVS Health, Walgreens Boot Alliance, Walmart Stores, Rite-Aid Corporation, and Kroger.
• The cost of prescription drugs continues to outpace inflation (which is already rising)--with some of the most frequently used brand name prescriptions increasing twice as much as inflation. As a result, many life-sustaining medications are not affordable for many older Americans (many of whom are prescribed multiple medications) or folks on fixed or limited incomes.
• Currently, one in four people in the U.S. finds it difficult to afford their medications.
• Per a report released by QuintilesIMS, it’s estimated that spending on prescription drugs in the U.S. is set to increase four to seven percent through 2021 and may reach $580 to $610 billion. Several pharmaceutical companies have made pledges to reduce annual price increases to under 10% following ongoing pressure from insurers and politicians.
• Today, the most expensive prescription drug on the U.S. market costs $2,125,000 (zolgensma) to $678,392 annually. Zolgensma is a gene therapy medication used to treat spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare disorder that destroys nerves that control muscles. It’s delivered as a one-time dose that provides a new genetic copy of the SMN protein. The OneGene program provides family guidance, helps navigate insurance requirements, and coordinates financial assistance programs for eligible families.

Polypharmacy Trends

Polypharmacy is defined as the use of multiple drugs by a single patient for one or more conditions. Traditionally, it has been described as taking five or more medications.

In June 2019, the US Census Bureau estimated that the number of people over 65 years grew by approximately one-third during the past ten years. As the American population ages, the number of incidents associated with polypharmacy rises along with associated risks, including possible adverse drug effects, drug interactions, and lack of adherence. Yet, in some cases, polypharmacy can be therapeutically beneficial if managed appropriately.

Research suggests that in addition to healthcare providers, pharmacists may make appropriate interventions to improve the quality of care in patients with polypharmacy by evaluating drug-drug interactions, contraindications, monitoring for adverse effects, and preventing medication errors.

Our current pandemic and the pharmacy stats above show that current events and economy impact access and have a profound effect on both our daily lives and our nation’s public health. We’ve learned so many lessons in the past year and a half. It will be interesting to see how that impacts next year’s pharmacy and prescription stats.