Global Central Fill Pharmacy Automation Market Report 2024

The central fill pharmacy automation market size has grown rapidly in recent years. It will grow from $0.57 billion in 2023 to $0.64 billion in 2024 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.4%. The historical period's growth can be attributed to factors such as the escalation in prescription volume, labor shortages, concerns regarding medication safety and accuracy, the upward trajectory of healthcare costs, and the broadening scope of pharmacy services.

The central fill pharmacy automation market size is expected to see rapid growth in the next few years. It will grow to $0.99 billion in 2028 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.6%. The forecast period's growth is expected to be fueled by increasing prescription demand, a heightened focus on patient safety and quality, regulatory compliance imperatives, and the emergence of e-commerce and tele pharmacy. Key trends anticipated in the forecast period encompass integration with telehealth and remote care services, emphasis on interoperability and health information exchange, regulatory compliance and quality assurance initiatives, and a growing emphasis on green initiatives and sustainability within the industry.

The increasing imperative to reduce medication errors is poised to propel the future growth of the central fill pharmacy automation market. Medication errors, which are preventable occurrences leading to inappropriate medication use or patient harm, are on the rise due to the growing complexity of healthcare systems, escalating patient volumes, and the introduction of new medications. Central fill pharmacy automation plays a pivotal role in mitigating medication errors by streamlining the medication dispensing process, ensuring precise and consistent preparation of prescriptions. This technology minimizes human errors and boosts efficiency in managing large prescription volumes. For example, as per data from the World Health Organization in September 2022, medication errors incurred a cost of $2.16 billion, accounting for 3% of total national healthcare expenditure. Additionally, there were 237 million reported medication errors annually, with 66 million potentially clinically significant errors. The government's estimated costs for avoidable adverse reactions to medication amounted to $106.24 million annually. Hence, the increasing need to curtail medication errors is driving the expansion of the central fill pharmacy automation market.

Key players in the central fill pharmacy automation sector are concentrating on developing technologically advanced solutions, such as cloud-based pharmacy automation, to gain a competitive advantage. Cloud-based pharmacy automation utilizes cloud computing technology to facilitate and manage pharmacy operations. For instance, in February 2024, Innovation Associates Inc., a US-based company specializing in high-volume pharmacy automation technology and software solutions, introduced Shared Central Fulfillment, a novel cloud-based solution enabling pharmacy fulfillment owners to provide centralized fulfillment services to multiple pharmacy partners from a single fulfillment center. This solution is designed to foster a more sustainable work environment for pharmacy providers, ultimately elevating the pharmacist's role in healthcare. It empowers both large and small pharmacy operations to leverage central fill operations, extending prescription fulfillment solutions across multiple pharmacy partners from a single location.

In January 2022, Omnicell Inc., a US-based provider of automation and business analytics software for healthcare providers, acquired Hub and Spoke Innovations Limited for $3.11 million. Through this acquisition, Omnicell aims to revolutionize the retail pharmacy industry by offering innovative automation solutions. Hub and Spoke Innovations Limited, based in the UK, specializes in central fill pharmacy automation.

Major companies operating in the central fill pharmacy automation market are McKesson Corporation, Cencora Inc., Cardinal Health Inc., Becton Dickinson and Company, Grifols SA, Kuka AG, J M Smith Corporation, Omnicell Inc., Swisslog Healthcare, Parata Systems LLC, ScriptPro LLC, PBA Health, Capsa Healthcare, Cornerstone Automation Systems LLC, ARxIUM Inc., Talyst LLC, Kirby Lester, Quality Manufacturing Systems Inc., R/X Automation Solutions, RxSafe LLC, Innovation Associates Inc.

North America was the largest region in the central fill pharmacy automation market in 2023. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the central fill pharmacy automation market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the central fill pharmacy automation market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

Central fill pharmacy automation involves leveraging automated systems and technologies to consolidate the prescription fulfillment process for multiple pharmacies within a network or chain. These facilities utilize robotic technology and automated procedures to fill prescriptions, package medications, and redistribute them to the originating pharmacies, thereby optimizing operations and enhancing efficiency in medication dispensation.

The primary products of central fill pharmacy automation include equipment, software, and services. Equipment comprises specialized machinery and technology tailored to automate the prescription filling process in central fill pharmacies. These solutions cater to various applications such as inpatient pharmacy, outpatient pharmacy, and retail pharmacy, and are utilized by both equipment vendors and consulting vendors.

The central fill pharmacy automation market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides central fill pharmacy automation market statistics, including central fill pharmacy automation industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a central fill pharmacy automation market share, detailed central fill pharmacy automation market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the central fill pharmacy automation industry. This central fill pharmacy automation market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.

The central fill pharmacy automation market consists of revenues earned by entities by providing services such as consultation and assessment, training and education, maintenance and support, software integration, inventory management, and performance monitoring and reporting. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. The central fill pharmacy automation market also includes sales of medication storage, barcode scanner, inventory management software, and quality control. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is, the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD, unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.


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