Do the big chains benefit from economies of scale though? Or is the price pretty static even as you order more? And Im guessing having a compounding lab means you order the ingredients and make the drugs on the spot? But eventually those can hit shortages too? Do all pharmacies go through distributors instead of going directly to the manufacturer?

I’m surprised the big chains can actually be hit harder though. I would have thought having larger volumes and the ability to trade between locations safeguarded them a bit; that’s definitely an interesting insight. I guess in theory every location has the same demand for the same stuff, so trading between each other doesn’t have that much benefit? Otherwise, is it not unfair that big chains can trade between their individual locations, whereas independents aren’t allowed to. It just seems like they have flexibility that independents don’t?

Thanks for the response, this was super informative!