Purchasing Considerations
Sourcing generics in bar coded unit dose remains challenging; just one-quarter of hospital pharmacies are able to purchase more than 90% of their generics in this format. As such, it is key that pharmacy leadership continues to invest in efficient packaging operations, from high-speed repackagers and tabletop units to systems supporting manual repackaging. In response to these challenges, pharmacy leadership is increasingly likely to pay more for a reliable source of generic drugs.
Given the downstream time commitment required to manage product changes, including EHR updates, packaging system changes, smart pump system alterations, etc, almost 9 out of 10 hospital pharmacy leaders are willing to pay a higher price for a generic in order to ensure a consistently reliable supply.
Off-contract purchasing of generics remains rather rare; most facilities purchase no more than 10% of their generics off-contract.
Most off-contract purchasing is driven by product availability issues, although unit dose availability and pricing issues also contribute to this practice.
The number of facilities able to purchase more than three-quarters of their generics in bar coded unit dose continues to fluctuate; this year a slim majority (53%) were able to do so.
The typical hospital pharmacy relies on 7-15 different manufacturers to source their generic drugs.
Lot-specific testing is rarely requested from generic manufacturers and this trend has held true over the past decade.
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