Publix - a southeastern U.S. supermarket chain with 980 pharmacy locations - has entered into an agreement to use AmerisourceBergen's RFID-based drug-management system, known as Cubixx, to track specialty pharmaceutical products at the retailer's pharmacies.

Big-data analytics is a huge area for drug distributor McKesson Corp., says Kathy McElligott, the company's chief information officer.

The boom in specialty pharmaceuticals is reshaping the pharmacy industry's market structure as 10 companies account for 70 percent of specialty pharmacy revenues, according to Adam J. Fein, CEO of the Drug Channels Institute and author of the study on pharmacy economics and the pharmaceutical supply chain.

From new regulations to the growth in large-molecule temperature-sensitive products to the frequency of disruptions, healthcare companies are operating in a risk-inherent environment that is at the same time rich with new opportunities. There are favorable demographics on the horizon as populations age, become more affluent and expand in a diverse set of geographies. Meanwhile, the supply chain must stretch to accommodate new distribution channels, product specialization and innovation.