CENTRAL FILL PHARMACY AUTOMATION MARKET ANALYSIS

Central fill pharmacy automation is a completely automated pharmacy dispensing system that reduces the need for manual or human labor by handling the entire inventory system with machines and robots.

The central fill pharmacy administers medications, validates, labels, and packages prescription products in a bag, and properly labels the bag so that they may be sorted and delivered to the other branches.

Global Central Fill Pharmacy Automation Market - Impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak was first reported on December 31, 2019, in Wuhan, China. The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as pandemic on March 11, 2020. According to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard by the World Health Organization, over 571.19 million cases and 6.38 million deaths due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were reported till July 28, 2022, across the globe.

Impact of COVID-19 on Demand and Supply of Central Fill Pharmacy Automation

The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown in various countries across the globe have impacted the financial status of businesses across all sectors including private healthcare sector. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the entire supply chain of the healthcare industry mainly due to strict lockdown in several regions. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the economy of various regions across the globe in three main ways; by directly affecting the production and demand of healthcare products; by creating disruptions in distribution channels; and by affecting the companies and various markets financially. Several countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore are facing problems with regards to transportation and distribution of healthcare products.

According to the Swisslog Healthcare Ltd., 2020, a provider of integrated medication supply chain solutions to hospitals and health systems, central fill pharmacy automation can help overcome difficulties such as medication mistake, slow workflow, and others. Central fill pharmacy automation provides several benefits and features such as:

• Inventory management
• Pill sorter, counter, and packaging machines
• Barcode medicine identification
• Automated dispensing systems
• Compounding medication
• Tracking medical history, etc.

Therefore, the global central fill pharmacy automation market is expected to be positively impacted by COVID-19, owing to the benefits offered by the automated systems

The global central fill pharmacy automation market is estimated to be valued at US$ 416.06 Mn in 2022, and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 12.2% over the forecast period (2022-2030).

Figure 1: Global Central Fill Pharmacy Automation Market Share (%) Analysis, By Product Type, 2022

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Increasing need to reduce medication errors and develop automated systems with improved features is expected to drive growth of the global central fill pharmacy automation market over the forecast period.

For instance, according to the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP), 2019, medication errors in hospitals kills nearly 100 million people each year. It is critical to eliminate medication errors to improve healthcare facilities and services while ensuring patient safety. Using a pharmacy automation system to minimize errors connected to storage, medication, usage, and retrieval dispensing is critical.

Rising specialty drug dispensing demand from central fill pharmacies

The rising demand for specialty drug dispensing from central fill pharmacies is expected to drive the global central fill pharmacy automation market growth. Specialty medications have changed medicines in the last two decades, helping numerous patients with chronic conditions to improve their lifespan and quality of life. Any registered pharmacy can dispense a specialty drug as long as the product can be obtained from a manufacturer or via an authorized wholesale distribution channel. Due to increased investments from pharmaceutical stakeholders and greater efficiency, the global pharmaceutical sector has seen an increase in the supply of highly required generic drugs. This has ultimately assisted in driving the demand for central fill pharmacy automation across the globe.

Global Central Fill Pharmacy Automation Market- Restraint

Lack of skilled professionals and high initial capital investments is expected to hamper the market growth. The capabilities of the pharma workforce have not yet aligned with emerging technologies such as automation, computer science, and process modelling, resulting in an increasing talent gap. As a result, firms are having difficulty finding these skills among the current workforce. Furthermore, due to additional tariffs, anti-dumping taxes, non-tariff obstacles, and stricter compliance, the cost of trade is rising. As a result, these logistical issues may slow the market growth during the projection period. Maintenance, power usage, service, technicians, and other costs are included in the entire budget. The high investment cost of central fill pharmacy automation systems has hindered the market expansion in low-income economies

Global Central Fill Pharmacy Automation Market – Regional Analysis

On the basis of region, the global central fill pharmacy automation market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa.

North America is expected to exhibit lucrative growth opportunities for the central fill pharmacy automation market, owing to increasing mergers and acquisition amongst market players. For instance, in July 2021, pharmacy automation provider, Parata Systems which is based in North Carolina, U.S, announced the acquisition of Synergy Medical, a privately held company that develops automation technologies to prepare and dispense solid oral medication in blister cards. This acquisition expanded Parata Systems offerings of innovative pharmacy automation technologies.

Moreover, Europe is expected to witness significant growth in the near future, owing to increasing strategies such as partnership amongst market players. For instance, in July 2019, RxSafe, LLC, announced partnership with U.K.-based Centred Solutions, Ltd to deliver adherence strip packaging automation to the European market. Under the agreement, Centred Solutions became the exclusive distributor of RapidPakRx in the U.K and the rest of the European Union (EU).

Figure 2: Global Central Fill Pharmacy Automation Market Value (US$ Mn), by Region, 2022

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Global Central Fill Pharmacy Automation Market – Competitive Landscape

Major players operating in the global central fill pharmacy automation market include Omnicell, ARxIUM, ScriptPro, Cardinal Health, Parata Systems, RxSafe, LLC, Tension Packaging & Automation, McKesson Corporation, Cornerstone Automation Systems, LLC, Quality Manufacturing Systems, Inc., Noritsu,  Capsa Healthcare, Yuyama USA, and Catalyst Healthcare Ltd.