In 46% of U.S. counties, there are no retail pharmacies within 10 miles, according to a study from The Ohio State University.
The researchers used data through 2020 to evaluate the country's 3,141 counties, and they found 1,447 counties had at least one pharmacy desert.
Without a nearby pharmacy location, patients face the risk of medication nonadherence and worse health outcomes. With CVS planning to close 900 stores in the next three years and Rite Aid filing for bankruptcy, more counties might be on the brink of pharmacy deserts, the researchers said.
Also, counties high on the social vulnerability index with few primary care practitioners were between 30% and 40% more likely to have deserts than other counties.
The study authors, who work at The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute in Columbus, published their findings in JAMA Aug. 23.