In late October, Evernorth opened a new specialty pharmacy and distribution facility in Newark, Delaware, with the goal of making it easier for members to access key specialty therapies.
At the 200,000-square-foot facility, services provided by Accredo Specialty Pharmacy and distributor CuraScript SD are united under one roof, the company said. The location is built to streamline the fulfillment process, improve care coordination and get medication to patients more quickly.
Evernorth said it estimates that the Delaware location will dispense 1.5 million specialty medications through Accredo and distribute 200,000 orders for medication and supplies through CuraScript.
Matt Perlberg, president of pharmacy and care delivery at Evernorth, told Fierce in a recent interview that the approach with the Delaware facility mirrors the team’s overall strategy: putting a focus on complex patients by meeting them where they are.
He said that the journey starts when a patient receives a diagnosis that requires a specialty therapy, with the company establishing digital touch points to reach out as early as possible in the care journey. Offering ease of access along with ongoing coordination drives adherence to medication, he said.
“Patient care is at the heart of what we do,” Perlberg said, and the team is “continuing to always look at how we can advance this care.”
The Newark facility, for example, is built with artificial intelligence and robotics technologies, which can support safe handling and delivery of temperature-sensitive medications.
And beyond distribution for patients, Perlberg said the team is making significant investments in distribution for providers. Evernorth’s $3.5 billion investment in Shields Health Solutions, which works with hospitals and health systems in setting up specialty pharmacies, is evidence of this, Perlberg said.
“It’s another way for us to help treat patients,” Perlberg said.
The specialty drug market continues to grow and evolve rapidly, with these products making up a significant portion of the overall drug pipeline. Perlberg said that about half of the drugs approved in 2025 by the Food and Drug Administration were specialty products, including significant numbers of orphan drugs, which are approved for a specific rare condition.
Perlberg said that while the list of specialty and orphan drugs continues to grow, the number of specialty generics and biosimilars is also on the rise. Those products offer an opportunity to save more than $100 billion by the end of the decade.
One of the prime targets is Humira, one of the most popular drugs in the world. As more biosimilars for Humira come to market, it allows patients to access therapies that they need while helping to control costs significantly, he said.
Programs that have proven to work for Humira have been extended to other high-cost therapies, like Stelara, Perlberg added.
“We have seen that save thousands for patients,” he said.
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