Pharma Pulse: Cardinal Health Expands with Solaris Acquisition, Hospitals Centralize Pharmacy Hubs, and GLP-1 Safety Signals Emerge

Welcome to Pharma Pulse, a Pharmaceutical Commerce podcast where we bring you the latest insights shaping patient access, supply chain/logistics, data & tech, and healthcare innovation. I’m your host, and today we’re looking at three stories shaping the intersection of pharmaceutical business, healthcare delivery, and patient safety.

Cardinal Health has announced plans to acquire Solaris Health, a large urology-focused physician practice management company, for $1.9 billion. The move is aimed at expanding Cardinal’s specialty physician services footprint, particularly in the fast-growing urology and men’s health segments. Analysts see this acquisition as a way to deepen Cardinal’s presence in physician practice networks while enhancing specialty drug distribution opportunities—a strategic play in a market where integrated care and specialty therapeutics continue to grow.

In other news, hospital systems are increasingly investing in centralized pharmacy service centers to strengthen supply chains, improve efficiency, and enhance patient care. These hubs allow health systems to consolidate compounding, packaging, and distribution for multiple facilities—freeing up hospital pharmacists to focus on direct patient care. Centralization also improves inventory management and helps mitigate the impact of drug shortages. As healthcare systems face ongoing staffing and cost pressures, this model is gaining traction as both a cost-control and quality-improvement strategy.

Lastly, a new study published in JAMA Network Openhas found a potential link between GLP-1 receptor agonists—widely used for diabetes and weight loss—and an increased risk of optic nerve disorders. Researchers caution that while the association does not prove causation, it raises important safety considerations given the growing use of these drugs. Physicians are being urged to monitor patients for early signs of vision problems, especially as prescriptions for GLP-1s surge in both endocrinology and obesity care settings.

From strategic acquisitions to innovative hospital pharmacy models and emerging drug safety concerns, these stories reflect the complex landscape pharma and healthcare leaders are navigating.

That’s it for this episode of Pharma Pulse. For more insights on trends transforming pharmaceutical access and care delivery, visit pharmaceuticalcommerce.com.

Thanks for listening—until next time, stay well and stay informed.

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