A start-up institutional pharmacy company could soon become the market’s No. 3 player, according to its executives. The parent group of Golden Living officially launched AlixaRx with predictions it could become a $250 million per year business within 18 months. Ultimately capturing one-fifth or more of the 16,000-nursing home market is a distinct possibility, said AlixaRx President Larry Deans: “If we had 20% of market share [within five years], right now that would be a good goal to shoot for. We believe providers have a need for this service.” AlixaRx’s unveiling comes at the detriment of PharMerica, which is losing the Golden Living contracts, company officials said. PharMerica currently has about 20% of the long-term care institutional pharmacy market, which has put it second behind leader Omnicare, which commands approximately 60% of the market, Deans said.