For years, pharmacy purchasing strategy followed a familiar playbook. Contracts were negotiated. Wholesalers were selected. Reports were reviewed—sometimes monthly, sometimes quarterly—and decisions were made based on averages, assumptions, and historical norms.
That approach is no longer enough.
As we head into 2026, pharmacies that haven’t modernized their purchasing processes with tools like pharmacy purchasing software will feel the pressure faster—and more intensely—than those that have. Not because they’re doing anything “wrong,” but because the rules around pricing, availability, and vendor behavior have fundamentally changed.
Historically, pharmacy purchasing and procurement strategies were built for stability. Pricing moved slowly. Vendor relationships were relatively predictable. If something worked last year, it was likely to work again this year.
That stability has eroded.
Today’s pharmacy purchasing and procurement environment is defined by variability:
In this environment, relying on high-level summaries or historical assumptions creates blind spots. And those blind spots compound over time.
One of the biggest changes pharmacies are facing is just how inconsistent purchasing outcomes have become.
Two pharmacies with the same primary wholesaler can see very different results.
Two purchases of the same drug, made weeks apart, can carry meaningfully different costs.
A vendor that performs well overall may underperform significantly on specific, high-volume items.
Without detailed visibility into what’s actually happening across purchases, it’s nearly impossible to answer basic questions like:
In 2026, that lack of clarity becomes expensive.
Many pharmacy purchasing decisions are still driven by assumptions:
Sometimes those assumptions are correct. Often, they’re outdated.
The real cost isn’t just paying more on a single order—it’s the cumulative impact of thousands of small inefficiencies that never get surfaced because no one is looking closely enough.
When visibility is limited, performance issues stay hidden. And when performance issues stay hidden, they become embedded into daily operations.
The phrase “we’ve always done it this way” used to signal experience. In 2026, it increasingly signals risk.
Not because experience isn’t valuable—but because the environment has changed faster than many purchasing and procurement processes have.
Pharmacies that rely on static strategies struggle to adapt when:
Meanwhile, pharmacies that treat purchasing as a continuously evaluated function—rather than a set-it-and-forget-it task—are better positioned to respond, adjust, and protect profitability using pharmacy purchasing software.
Forward-looking pharmacy leaders are starting to rethink purchasing and pharmaceutical procurement strategies altogether. Instead of asking, “Who should we buy from?” they’re asking:
This shift isn’t about switching vendors or renegotiating contracts alone. It’s about modernizing how purchasing and procurement performance is evaluated and understood.
2026 won’t create weak pharmacy purchasing strategies—it will expose them.
Pharmacies that lack visibility, rely on assumptions, or stick to outdated processes will feel pressure sooner and harder. Those that invest in better insight and more adaptive strategies will be far better equipped to navigate what’s ahead.
Learn how pharmacy leaders are modernizing pharmacy purchasing and improving their pharmaceutical procurement strategy this year.
The conversation is already changing—and the pharmacies paying attention now will be the ones best positioned for what comes next.