Largest independent specialty pharmacy rides specialty-pharma wave
On a down day of a down week on the New York Stock Exchange, Diplomat Pharmacy (Flint, MI) had a successful IPO, opening at $13 per share, rising to $17.75 before ending the day at $16.02. Proceeds from the offering will be used to pay down some debt and “for acquisitions,” according to press reports.
Diplomat is something of a bellwether for the specialty pharmacy sector, and for the services surrounding specialty pharmaceuticals. Its competitors, at least on a national level, are the specialty-pharmacy arms of big PBMs and wholesalers. According to prior financial filings, it had $1.3 billion in revenue in 2013, up 34% from the year before and continuing a double-digit growth rate it has experienced in recent years.
Oncology, immunology, hepatitis, multiple sclerosis, HIV, specialized infusion therapy and other long-term conditions are what the company identifies as its services. Earlier in the year, it announced the acquisition of MedPro Rx, a specialty pharmacy in Raleigh, NC, with an emphasis on infusion services. And in the spring, it announced a formal hub services division, separate from its pharmacy operations. (To some degree, hub services companies and specialty pharmacies are competing for attention from biopharma manufacturers to provide patient services; with the opening of EnvoyHealth, Diplomat is straddling that divide.)
Protecting Temperature-Sensitive Pharmaceuticals, Without Unnecessary Plastic Waste
March 24th 2025Advances in the life sciences are driving a significant increase in the number of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals. The packaging industry is meeting the moment with advances of its own, including high-performance, environmentally-friendly materials that allow life science companies meet stringent thermal requirements and ambitious CO2e reduction goals. In this episode, TemperPack’s CEO Peter Wells shares insights from working with life sciences to move to certified biobased, home compostable, and curbside recyclable shipping solutions.