A new report from TELUS Health, focused on the pharmacy sector in Canada, says the way pharmacies operate is changing, thanks to the increasing responsibilities being delegated to pharmacists and ongoing labour shortages.
For those working with pharmacies, the report indicates that reducing administrative burden is an imperative, centralized prescription fulfillment is growing and pharmacists’ technologies are changing, with more reliance being placed on pharmacy management systems.
Pharmacies are also reportedly becoming more segmented, offering specialization in cases, with some pharmacies focused on oncology while others are focused on fertility and other specialties.
The report, The Future of Pharmacy in Canada: Five Trends Shaping Canada’s Healthcare Landscape in 2025, also notes a rise in the use and market share of specialty drugs. These have increased from 10.4 per cent of the total eligible amount in 2008, according to the TELUS’ research, to 31.2 per cent in 2023. The report adds that the Canadian specialty pharmacy market is expected to reach more than $20-billion by 2030.
“Today, specialty drugs are isolated to particular pharmacies. In 2025, there will likely be a push to bring this category to retail pharmacies,” they write. This shift towards more retail-based specialty care, “will increase the pressure to provide more coverage for high-cost drugs.”
