DEERFIELD, Ill. — Total revenue and same-store sales jumped in December at Walgreen Co., driven in part by increased customer traffic and a robust pharmacy business. Walgreens said Tuesday that comparable-store sales climbed 9.2% year over year for December, more than double the 4.5% gain in November. The drug chain noted that December comp-store sales
DEERFIELD, Ill. – As expected, Walgreen Co. and Alliance Boots GmbH have finalized the second step of their two-part merger agreement following Walgreens shareholders’ approval earlier this week. Coming just before the new year, the completion of the deal announced in 2012 reorganizes Walgreens into a subsidiary of a new holding company, Walgreens Boots Alliance
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Dan Wassong, who led the cosmetics and over-the-counter drug maker Del Laboratories Inc. as chairman, president and chief executive officer until 2004, has died. Wassong passed away on Jan. 1 at age 84. Born in Warsaw, Poland, Wassong lived in Israel before emigrating to the United States in 1950, became president of
LAS VEGAS — Salutron Inc. is showcasing its 2015 line of LifeTrak wearable health devices at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Salutron said Monday that the new GEM fitness tracker will be the first of LifeTrak’s new products offering continuous heart rate monitoring. The device’s design gives users flexible wear options, enabling
CAMP HILL, Pa. — There’s an underlying principle guiding Tony Montini and the merchandising and category management teams at Rite Aid Corp.: Be quick to act, but only when you have facts and data to support decisions. Tony Montini In the fast-changing arena of health and convenience retailing, Montini, the drug chain’s executive vice president
WESTBURY, N.Y. — PL Developments has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to manufacture 200-mg brown and orange ibuprofen tablets and caplets, comparable to national brands Motrin and Advil. The consumer health care company said Monday that the move marks its first Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) approval. PL Developments will manufacture the
NEW YORK — Beauty care company Paris Presents Inc. has been acquired by private investment firm Wasserstein & Co. L.P. Financial terms of the agreement, announced Monday, weren’t disclosed. Paris Presents was sold to Wasserstein by funds advised by private equity firm Mason Wells. Wasserstein said the Ontario Pension Board (OPB) and Northwestern Mutual are
FORT WORTH, Texas — Galderma Laboratories has launched its first over-the-counter acne regimen, Benzac Acne Solutions. Galderma said Monday that Benzac comprises a three-step regimen: Benzac Skin Balancing Foaming Cleanser, Benzac Intensive Spot Treatment and Benzac Blemish Clearing Hydrator. According to the skin care company, Benzac is formulated with salicylic acid to treat stubborn acne
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Sam’s Club has unveiled its slate of free health screenings for 2015, available through its pharmacies. The Walmart warehouse club chain, which has 598 pharmacies, said Monday that the 10 free health screenings for this year include a wide range of tests to identify and manage potential health issues. The first screening
In Canada, Alberta continues to be a leader in expanding the scope of practice for pharmacists from dispensing prescriptions to more and more health care services. Case in point: Shoppers Drug Mart. Starting in early January, patients can go to any of SDM’s 147 drug stores in Alberta to get a flu screening, giving pharmacists a
TORONTO — Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacists in Alberta have begun providing in-store flu screenings, which the drug chain calls a first for Canadian pharmacies. The Canadian drug chain said Monday that patients can go to any of its 147 stores in Alberta and be screened for influenza A or B using a new flu screening
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Health has begun offering the ScripAbility prescription accessibility system via its mail service pharmacy to CVS/caremark members who are blind or visually impaired. CVS said Monday that the new service expands the company’s offerings to the visually impaired community. The ScripAbility system includes ScripTalk talking prescription labels as well as braille
FONTANA, Calif. — Brush Buddies, an oral care company featuring state-of-the-art technology, is slated to launch three new toothbrush products early this year. Soniclean Pro One The new products are the 90-Day Brush, Soniclean Pro One and EVO, a new toothbrush style that combines the power of sonic brush technology with an inbuilt customizable MP3
WASHINGTON — Preferred pharmacies for Medicare Part D drug plans are more accessible in suburbs and rural areas than in cities, a study by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has found. “While we appreciate the importance of providing lower costs to beneficiaries, these findings reinforce CMS’ concern that plans are offering access
