Walmart continues to bolster pharmacy, opens largest yet prescription processing facility

Walmart has opened its largest centralized prescription processing facility to date, Supermarket News reported based on the retailer’s recent announcement. The 102,000-square-foot site, in Frederick, Md., can fulfill up to 100,000 prescriptions a day and supports more than 700 stores across 16 states and Washington, D.C., the retailer said in a press release.

Two additional facilities are under development in Phoenix and Republic, Mo., and both are expected to open in 2026. Walmart currently operates five prescription processing centers.

The Maryland facility uses advanced pharmacy automation, including dynamic weighting systems, robotic carriers, and a streamlined conveyance route for prescription fulfillment. Pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and patient safety associates work on-site. The automation handles tasks such as vial locating, pill counting, labeling, capping, and sorting. By shifting fulfillment to centralized locations, Walmart said it aims to give in-store pharmacists more time for clinical services such as immunizations, diabetes management, testing and treatment, and patient counseling.

A recent study cited by Walmart found that central fill operations can increase pharmacist-patient interactions by 30%.

“This facility represents the next chapter in how we care for our customers,” said Kevin Host, senior vice president of Pharmacy at Walmart. “With greater efficiency behind the scenes, our pharmacists can spend more time in front of patients.”

Walmart has recently expanded its prescription services. In the first quarter, the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer launched pharmacy delivery, and prescription volume grew by 10%.

Pharmacy delivery has also contributed to growth in new digital users within Walmart’s ecommerce business, CEO Doug McMillon said during the earnings call last week.