How Pharmacies Stock 4,000 Drugs Without Running Out

Ever wonder how your local pharmacy manages to stock thousands of different medications — including obscure ones you might never have heard of — while almost never running out? This episode unpacks the hidden logistics behind that filing cabinet behind the counter. We explore the Pareto distribution of prescriptions (where just 20 drugs account for 30% of all fills), the complex inventory systems that balance regulatory requirements with demand forecasting, and how pharmacies handle the long tail of rarely-needed medications. We also discuss the data science behind predicting physician prescribing patterns, the ethical questions around population-level demand tracking, and what actually happens when the system fails.