Moffitt to open Publix pharmacy

Patients at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center will soon need to go no further than the lobby to pick up prescriptions at the first-ever Publix pharmacy independent of a grocery store.

Publix Supermarkets Inc. will open the full-service retail pharmacy on the first floor of the center July 2. Publix spokeswoman Shannon Patten said the collaboration between Florida-based companies Publix and Moffitt “seemed like a natural fit.” 

“We are always looking for ways to bring health and wellness to our customers and their families and we will continue to look for ways,” she said. “This is the first (independent pharmacy) and this is the only one right now.”

The Publix Pharmacy at Moffitt will offer the same services Moffitt’s existing retail pharmacy provides and bought out the client list for the current pharmacy, as well as the same services available at Publix stores.

Prices at the new pharmacy will be the same as in the grocery stores, Patten said, and those with prescriptions at other Publix locations will be able to fill them on campus and vice versa. Prices may vary from the other on campus pharmacies — Bull’s Country in the Marshall Student Center and a Sweetbay pharmacy in the Carol and Frank Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare.

Patten said because the Publix pharmacy will offer more services, she anticipates an increase in sales at the current location.

“Currently, Moffitt’s pharmacy sells about 200 prescriptions a day,” she said. “With an increase in patient volumes and the expanded access, we do anticipate there will be a growth when Publix takes over, but unfortunately I don’t have an (estimate right now).”

Patten said the agreement between Publix and Moffitt is one of space rental, with no cost to Moffitt.

“(Moffitt hasn’t) sold the business to us or anything like that,” she said. “We’re simply just paying for the use of space. There’s no revenue sharing. It’s more or less of us renting space in their facility.”

The existing Moffitt Cancer Center Retail Pharmacy is located on the first floor of the center and has been owned and operated by the Cancer Center and the Department of Pharmacy for more than 20 years, said Moffitt spokeswomen Michelle Foley in an email to The Oracle.

Foley said Walgreens, CVS, Target, CommCare and Sweetbay were also considered for pharmacy partnerships. When asked why they needed to replace the existing center, she said Moffitt needed to match its customer expansion.

“Moffitt has experienced tremendous growth and to continue meeting the growing needs of all our customers, Moffitt is collaborating with Publix to offer a full-service retail pharmacy onsite,” Foley said.