Rx sales increase at supermarket

Out of all retail pharmacy outlets, food stores have slightly increased their prescription sales, generating March year-to-date sales of $5.7 billion, up 0.5%, according to IMS Health data. Including drug, mail and independents, prescription sales totaled $58.3 billion, down 4.7%, reported Doug Long, VP industry relations for IMS Health, at an FMI education breakout.

Supermarket pharmacy dispensed 132 million prescriptions in that time, up 2.3%, as compared with 964 million prescriptions dispensed across all channels, representing a 2.6% volume lift.

However, capturing patients soon may be of greater importance than prescriptions, noted John Fegan, VP pharmacy for Bi-Lo Winn-Dixie. “It isn’t about the numbers anymore, it’s about [patient] compliance and [health outcomes] impact,” he observed following Long’s presentation