In a recent survey by the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), nearly all (90%) of pharmacy owners and managers said they would stock the class of medications used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity, but nearly all of those (96%) said they are experiencing shortages or backorders of GLP-1 agonists. Most (63%) are ordering the products based on paid claims instead of keeping a stock on hand (37%) because of the drugs’ high prices and because the reimbursement from pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) is often below the pharmacy’s cost to acquire the medications.
“GLP-1s have been tremendously popular over the last couple of years and are an important, albeit expensive, option for many patients. But independent pharmacies are in the counterintuitive predicament of seeing top line revenues grow while the bottom line shrinks due to payments from PBM-insurers that are often significantly below the pharmacy’s cost to acquire the medication,” explained NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey, pharmacist, MBA. “When added to the unsustainably low reimbursement pharmacies are seeing on other drugs, plus payment clawbacks, the steering of patients into PBM-insurer affiliated pharmacies and take-it-or-leave-it contracts, it’s a challenging time to own and operate a community pharmacy. Pharmacy’s reputation as the location with the most accessible healthcare provider in their communities is being threatened.”
GLP-1s are not the only supply issues bedeviling community pharmacists. Almost all of the respondents reported that they are experiencing additional supply issues; 87% said they are experiencing problems acquiring Adderall or its generics, which is prescribed to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. That percentage is a slight decline from the September survey.
In other findings from the survey, 75% of respondents said that they are carrying Narcan (naloxone) nasal spray, which was recently approved as an OTC opioid-overdose treatment. That is slightly less than the 85% who said in September that they planned to carry the medication when possible.
When queried about their plans to stock the first daily oral contraceptive for sale in the United States without a prescription, 42% said that they intend to do that when it is available. A total of 44% said that they may but need more information.
Another issue facing independent pharmacies is staffing. That was cited as a challenge by 67% of pharmacy owners and managers who advised about the difficulties of filling open staff positions. The highest demand positions include:
• Pharmacy technicians, cited by 76%
• Clerks/front-end staff, cited by 42%
• Pharmacists, cited by 36%
• Delivery drivers, cited by 17%.
The survey was conducted from February 2 to February 12, 2024. It was sent to approximately 10,000 independent pharmacy owners and managers, with 385 responding.
The NCPA emphasized that the results are specific to independent pharmacies and “should not be used when discussing chain pharmacies or other pharmacy settings.”
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