Pharmaceutical sales through primary healthcare distributors increased to nearly $263bn in 2009, accounting for nearly 86 percent of sales in the channel, according to a report from the Center for Healthcare Supply Chain Research, the research foundation of the Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA).

This trend - along with nearly 170 other measures relating to the healthcare distribution industry - is included in the 2010-2011 HDMA Factbook: The Facts, Figures & Trends in Healthcare. Now in its 82nd edition, the Factbook provides a comprehensive picture of the healthcare distribution industry, reporting in the areas of operations, finance, distributor demographics, information systems, delivery and returns and more.

A typical HDMA member distribution center handled a daily average of 1,710 orders in 2009, delivering more than 91,000 products each day to pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities and other outlets nationwide, while keeping net profit margins at an average of 1 percent, according to the reference.

"This year's Factbook provides the most comprehensive review of pharmaceutical distribution to date," said Karen Ribler, executive vice president and COO of the Center for Healthcare Supply Chain Research. "It features a wealth of usable metrics and is an essential tool for supply chain executives looking to measure their own performance, analysts seeking to understand the complexities of the supply chain and others who wish to learn how pharmaceuticals are distributed in the healthcare industry."

"The HDMA Factbook sheds light on the tremendous efficiency involved in moving millions of medicines and healthcare products across the supply chain," said HDMA president and CEO John M. Gray. "Such efficiency would not be possible without HDMA distributor members, who continue to safely deliver lifesaving products to the right patient at the right time, while saving the healthcare system billions of dollars in the process."

To purchase the Factbook, visit the website of the Center for Healthcare Supply Chain Research at http://www.hcsupplychainresearch.org.

Source: Healthcare Distribution Management Association