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Pharmaceutical Wholesaling in the UK Industry Data and Analysis
The pharmaceutical and healthcare supply chain is ever-changing. Wholesalers must follow and react to a dynamic environment with various regulations, licenses, taxation and shipping considerations. The loss of patent protection for several high-profile drugs has hampered performance because it has lowered revenue from such medications. Tighter regulation has pushed consumers towards generic medicines, increasing competition and lowering prices. This shift has squeezed profitability for wholesalers due to downward pricing pressure. Profitability should continue to recover as NHS budgets climb. Wholesalers will likely have adjusted to previous supply chain disruptions by then. Larger NHS budgets dedicated specifically to health and social care spending over the next few years should also support improved profit. Regulatory and funding challenges threaten wholesalers, favouring the retail of low-price generic drugs instead of high-end branded varieties.
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What's included in this industry analysis
IBISWorld's research coverage on the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom includes market sizing, forecasting, data and analysis from 2015-2030. The most recent publication was released March 2025.
About this industry
What's this industry report about?
The Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom operates under the SIC industry code G46.460. This industry covers businesses that wholesale pharmaceuticals or medical goods. These companies distribute medical and surgical equipment, vaccination kits and other pharmaceutical products to pharmacies, specialist retailers, hospitals, doctors and other expert medical practitioners. Related terms covered in the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom include prescription-only medicines, over-the-counter (otc) medicines, wholesale bypass, parallel import, patent cliff, short-line wholesaler and full-line wholesaler.
What's included in this industry?
Products and services covered in Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom include Prescription-only pharmaceuticals, Other pharmaceuticals and Medical and surgical equipment, apparatus, appliances and furniture.
What companies are included in this industry?
Companies covered in the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom include Alliance Healthcare (Distribution) Ltd, AAH Pharmaceuticals Ltd and Phoenix Healthcare Distribution Ltd.
Performance
What's included in the Performance chapter?
The Performance chapter covers detailed analysis, datasets, detailed current performance, sources of volatility and an outlook with forecasts for the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom.
Questions answered in this chapter include what's driving current industry performance, what influences industry volatility, how do successful businesses overcome volatility, what's driving the industry outlook. This analysis is supported with data and statistics on industry revenues, costs, profits, businesses and employees.
Products & Markets
What's included in the Products and Markets chapter?
The Products and Markets chapter covers detailed products and service segmentation and analysis of major markets for the for the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom.
Questions answered in this chapter include how are the industry's products and services performing, what are innovations in industry products and services, what products or services do successful businesses offer and what's influencing demand from the industry's markets. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by product and service segmentation and major markets.
Geographic Breakdown
What's included in the Geographic Breakdown chapter?
The Geographic Breakdown chapter covers detailed analysis and datasets on regional performance of the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom.
Questions answered in this chapter include where are industry businesses located and how do businesses use location to their advantage. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by location.
Competitive Forces
What's included in the Competitive Forces chapter?
The Competitive Forces chapter covers the concentration, barriers to entry and supplier and buyer profiles in the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom. This includes data and statistics on industry market share concentration, barriers to entry, substitute products and buyer & supplier power.
Questions answered in this chapter include what impacts the industry's market share concentration, how do successful businesses handle concentration, what challenges do potential industry entrants face, how can potential entrants overcome barriers to entry, what are substitutes for industry services, how do successful businesses compete with substitutes and what power do buyers and suppliers have over the industry and how do successful businesses manage buyer & supplier power.
Companies
What's included in the Companies chapter?
The Companies chapter covers Key Takeaways, Market Share and Companies in the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom. This includes data and analysis on companies operating in the industry that hold a market share greater than 5%.
Questions answered in this chapter include what companies have a meaningful market share and how each company is performing.
External Environment
What's included in the External Environment chapter?
The External Environment chapter covers Key Takeaways, External Drivers, Regulation & Policy and Assistance in the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom. This includes data and statistics on factors impacting industry revenue such as economic indicators, regulation, policy and assistance programs.
Questions answered in this chapter include what demographic and macroeconomic factors impact the industry, what regulations impact the industry, what assistance is available to this industry.
Financial Benchmarks
What's included in the Financial Benchmarks chapter?
The Financial Benchmarks chapter covers Key Takeaways, Cost Structure, Financial Ratios, Valuation Multiples and Key Ratios in the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom. This includes financial data and statistics on industry performance including key cost inputs, profitability, key financial ratios and enterprise value multiples.
Questions answered in this chapter include what trends impact industry costs and how financial ratios have changed overtime.
Industry Data
What's included in the Industry Data chapter?
The Industry Data chapter includes 10 years of historical data with 5 years of forecast data covering statistics like revenue, industry value add, establishments, enterprises, employment and wages in the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the market size of the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom in 2026?
The market size of the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom is £64.2bn in 2026.
How many businesses are there in the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom in 2025?
There are 2,840 businesses in the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom, which has grown at a CAGR of 0.9 % between 2020 and 2025.
How may import tariffs affect the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom?
The Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom is unlikely to be materially impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
How may export tariffs affect the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom?
The Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom is unlikely to be materially impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
Has the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom grown or declined over the past 5 years?
The market size of the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom has been growing at a CAGR of 0.8 % between 2020 and 2025.
What is the forecast growth of the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom over the next 5 years?
Over the next five years, the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom is expected to grow.
What are the biggest companies in the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom?
The biggest companies operating in the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom are Alliance Healthcare (Distribution) Ltd, AAH Pharmaceuticals Ltd and Phoenix Healthcare Distribution Ltd
What does the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom include?
Prescription-only pharmaceuticals and Other pharmaceuticals are part of the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom.
Which companies have the highest market share in the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom?
The company holding the most market share in the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom is Alliance Healthcare (Distribution) Ltd.
How competitive is the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom?
The level of competition is high and increasing in the Pharmaceutical Wholesaling industry in the United Kingdom.
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