Retail clinics are on a 26%/year growth trajectory, says Kalorama

In a week where the National Assn. of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP), during its annual convention, highlighted its growing influence on drug dispensing (and awarded Avella its Specialty Pharmacy of the Year award), it’s worth noting that the “other end” of pharmacy services—retail clinics—is making news, too. Retail clinics, often an adjunct of a conventional bricks-and-mortar pharmacy, provide limited drug dispensing (depending on state regulations), some types of testing and some routine medical procedures.

According to a just-released report from Kalorama Information, there are now over 2200 retail clinics in operation, forecast to rise to over 2,800 by 2020. CVS Health's Minute Clinic and Walgreens dominate. “The trend is now large enough to be part of manufacturer strategy and a realistic sales target for IVD and pharmaceutical companies. Sales of three types of products to retail clinics – vaccines, POC tests and lab tests reached $240 million in 2015, with vaccines accounting for a greater share than POC tests or laboratory tests. This reflects total annual growth of over 26% per year since 2010,” says the report.

"Point-of-care test makers in particular should be aware of this growing trend," said Bruce Carlson, publisher of Kalorama Information in a recent webinar. "You see companies like Alere and Roche making products for common ailments that can fit in smaller locales. They are thinking of urgent care, but also with an eye towards the new venues."

The Kalorama report, Retail Clinics 2016, is available here.