NEW YORK — While rumors of Amazon’s entry into pharmacy continue to swirl, some analysts are questioning just how significant the move would be. “Amazon’s U.S. Pharmacy Opportunity: Not Necessarily A Game Changer,” is the title of a report by Cowen. For its part, Fung Global Retail & Technology said the online retailer’s pursuit of
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — At presstime The Wall Street Journal along with other news agencies reported that CVS Health will offer more than $200 per share, or about $66 billion, to purchase the health insurance giant Aetna Inc. Anonymous sources cited by WSJ originated the story about a potential CVS-Aetna deal. The possible transaction comes as
NEW YORK — Entering the second quarter of 2017, the chain drug industry was awaiting answers to a couple of big, lingering questions. First, what will the chain drug landscape look like? A significant change in the field of players is likely in store pending antitrust clearance of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.’s (WBA’s) deal to
CVS Health’s scaled-back 2017 guidance, given in its third-quarter report this week, spotlights an intensifying competitive battle with rival Walgreens Boots Alliance. CVS reported that for fiscal 2017 it expects to lose over 40 million retail prescriptions due to marketplace changes, notably narrower retail pharmacy networks excluding CVS Pharmacy drug stores. The announcement sent CVS
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart has become the latest retailer to ally with a pharmaceutical distributor for generic drug sourcing. The mass merchandiser’s partnership with McKesson Corp. includes an expanded long-term distribution pact and will add scale and value for both companies, they said. The agreement positions Walmart and McKesson to compete with partnerships between Walgreens
NEW YORK — Going forward, chain drug stores can bank on the same underlying trends that have fueled the retail pharmacy business in recent years. But the industry as they’ve known it won’t look quite the same. Retailer consolidation, changes in drug purchasing and the influx of specialty drugs are reshaping the competitive arena, industry
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens is partnering with OptumRx to create a new pharmacy benefit to meet consumers’ changing prescription drug needs and help employers, health plans and their members achieve better health outcomes and greater cost savings. OptumRx is UnitedHealth Group’s freestanding pharmacy care services business, managing more than a billion prescriptions annually. Through a
The presence of Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) across the pharmacy care sector continues to broaden and deepen. Over two days earlier this month, WBA unveiled an integrated pharmacy offering with PBM OptumRx and then announced that it’s boosting its equity stake in drug distributor AmerisourceBergen. The highlight of the offering with OptumRx is that members
Pharmaceutical supply chain and economics expert Adam Fein, CEO of the Drug Channels Institute, says specialty drugs continue to hoist pharmacy industry sales, according to his firm’s latest analysis. “We project that the pharmacy industry’s revenues will exceed $483 billion in 2020,” stated Fein, author of the 2016 Economic Report on Retail, Mail, and Specialty Pharmacies
NEW YORK — After CVS Caremark and two other pharmacy benefit managers announced that they are terminating mail-order pharmacy Philidor Rx Services LLC from their networks, Valeant Pharmaceuticals Inc. said it would also sever ties with Philidor. Philidor has been accused of bolstering sales of products made by the Canadian-based drug manufacturer Valeant. Joining CVS
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — Continuing its aggressive growth and diversification, CVS Health has purchased Target Corp.’s pharmacy and clinic businesses for some $1.9 billion. The acquisition propels CVS past Walgreens as the nation’s No. 1 pharmacy operator by market share and store count. CVS will have close to 9,500 prescription counters. Walgreens had 8,232 as of
