Europe Outpatient Central Fulfillment Market Forecast to 2030 - Regional Analysis - by Product Type and End User

The Europe outpatient central fulfillment market was valued at US$ 87.04 million in 2022 and is expected to reach US$ 205.88 million by 2030; it is estimated to record a CAGR of 11.4% from 2022 to 2030.

Automation in Pharmacies Drives Europe Outpatient Central Fulfillment Market

Pharmacy automation has become one of the most flourishing segments of the healthcare sector. The automation technology can improve patient care and increase efficiency by automating pharmacy tasks and processes. According to a study by Visionary Insights, automation in pharmacies was predicted to increase by 22% each year through 2021. This rise can be attributed to the growing need for precise and efficient dispensing, and the increasing number of specialty medication dispensing operations.

A study by Oracle Cerner states that the automated dispensing of specialty medications was one of the most performed tasks in pharmacies. The study also states that pharmacy automation can improve accuracy (and reduce errors), speed up the process, and improve patient care. Pharmacists also adopt technologies to automate certain other tasks than dispensing, e.g., inventory management. Automated inventory systems can help pharmacies track and manage their inventory more accurately.

Leading pharmacy automation system vendors continuously focus on developing and introducing their innovations. In February 2021, Omnicell Inc. announced the launch of its Medimat, a next-generation, automated dispensing system for retail pharmacies. It has been built for improved patient safety, efficient time utilization, and financial savings. Similarly, in August 2021, innovative Aspirations (iA), a commercial provider of software-enabled pharmacy fulfillment and automation solutions, launched three solutions integrated with Medimat's NEXiA technology to manage the fulfillment of prescribed medicines centrally.

iA has also introduced SmartPod, a next-generation robot with a modular autofill unit. SmartPod allows pharmacy providers to adjust and scale their centralized fulfillment solutions. Thus, the growing adoption of automation in pharmacies with the introduction of next-generation automated systems fuels the growth of the outpatient central fulfillment market.

Europe Outpatient Central Fulfillment Market Overview

Germany has a developed healthcare sector owing to the presence of global market leaders. Various German companies produce medical accessories that are required in medical device manufacturing. Automatic dispensers were developed in Germany in the mid-90s and displayed for the first time by Rowa and Willach at Munich's Expopharm pharmacy show. Approximately 30-40% of pharmacies in mainland Europe use automated dispensing systems.

Several medical dispenser manufacturers operate in Germany. BD has been an instrumental part of ~13,000 pharmacy automation projects worldwide, with its BD Rowa systems developed in Germany. Similarly, other players in the country are developing innovative automated pharmacy systems. Besides, the need to harness new technologies in healthcare and pharmacy practice is increasing due to their impact on enhancing patient and provider satisfaction, improving quality of life, encouraging the direct participation of patients in their care and health, reducing cost, ensuring efficacy, strengthening pharmacy practices, and extending care to a broader population. Thus, an upsurge in the adoption of pharmacy automation solutions favors the outpatient central fulfillment market growth in Germany.

Europe Outpatient Central Fulfillment Market Segmentation

The Europe outpatient central fulfillment market is segmented based on product type, end user, and country. Based on product type, the Europe outpatient central fulfillment market is segmented into automated medication dispensing systems, automated packaging and labelling systems, automated tabletop counters, automated storage and retrieval systems, and others. The automated medication dispensing systems segment held the largest market share in 2022.

• In terms of end user, the Europe outpatient central fulfillment market is segmented into hospital pharmacies, retail pharmacies, and mail-order pharmacies. The hospital pharmacies segment held the largest market share in 2022.
• Based on country, the Europe outpatient central fulfillment market is segmented into the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the Rest of Europe. Germany dominated the Europe outpatient central fulfillment market share in 2022.

Becton Dickinson and Co; Capsa Solutions, LLC; Cardinal Health Inc; McKesson Corp; and Omnicell Inc are some of the leading players operating in the Europe outpatient central fulfillment market.