Market Trends of Global Pharmacy Automation Industry
The Automated Medication Dispensing Systems Segment is Expected to Witness Significant Growth Over the Forecast Period.
The automated medication dispensing systems segment will witness significant growth over the forecast period owing to the systems' ability to eliminate medication errors, decrease procedural time, and enhance patient safety concerns. In addition, these systems track narcotics and other controlled drugs, monitor drug usage patterns, and eliminate manual end-of-shift narcotic counts, especially in inpatient care units. Also, a rising infection rate boosted the demand for medications during the pandemic. This increasing infection count positively impacted the need for automated medication dispensing systems to reduce the burden on pharmacists, thus contributing to the segment's growth.
Automated dispensing systems also balance security, user-friendliness, inventory management, and control of medications, thereby driving their demand. Moreover, there is a growing demand for automated systems that help stock and inventory management. For instance, in March 2022, Capsa Healthcare expanded its NexsysADC automated dispensing cabinets suite. Nexysys can accommodate any size of controlled and highly valued medications or supplies in two new sizes of controlled access module drawers. Similarly, in November 2021, Swisslog Healthcare and Centre Hospitalier - Le Mans entered into an innovation agreement to synergize their expertise in the field of pharmacy using the automated packaging and dispensing system TheraPick. The pharmacy automation system optimizes the flow of medication handling to ensure the achievement of high patient safety standards.
North America Holds a Significant Market Share in the Pharmacy Automation Market
The North American pharmacy automation market holds a significant share due to an increase in the prevalence of various chronic disorders, the growing number of patients across the North American region, and the technological advancements due to the presence of key market players.
The rising prevalence of chronic diseases among the Mexican population is also expected to drive the growth of the market in the region. For instance, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) published in December 2021 stated that an estimated 14 million adults in Mexico were living with diabetes. Similarly, the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases among the Canadian population is expected to contribute to the growth of the studied market. For instance, the Canadian Institute for Health Information data published in July 2022 reported that about 2.4 million Canadians had heart disease in 2022. Such prevalence of chronic cardiovascular disorder and diabetes in North American countries is increasing the demand for pharmacy automation and thus contributing to the growth of the studied market in the region.
Acquisitions and new product launches are also propelling the growth of the market in the region. For instance, in August 2021, Innovation Associates, a provider of software-enabled pharmacy fulfillment and automation solutions, launched SmartPod's next-generation robot that delivers innovative scale in a central fill pharmacy environment. SmartPost is a breakthrough autofill unit with built-in modularity, allowing pharmacy providers to adjust and scale their centralized fulfillment solutions to meet demand.
Similarly, in December 2022, Omnicell, Inc. completed the acquisition of ReCept Holdings, Inc. The addition of ReCept's specialty pharmacy management services for health systems, provider groups, and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) expanded Omnicell's Advanced Services portfolio to address the growing and complex specialty pharmacy market.
