BOSTON — Characterizing National Association of Chain Drug Stores members as a “band of reformers,” association president and chief executive officer Steve Anderson called on attendees at the NACDS Pharmacy and Technology Conference here to remain advocates for the role of pharmacy and pharmacists in the brewing national debate on health care reform. In his
CAMP HILL, Pa. — With responsibility for category management, merchandising, marketing and the supply chain, Ken Martindale is leading several of the most critical of Rite Aid Corp.’s initiatives to improve its operating performance. His arrival at the drug store chain last December fulfilled a long-delayed wish of chairman and chief executive officer Mary Sammons,
WASHINGTON — With Congress in recess, President Barack Obama has become the most visible proponent of a health care overhaul, bringing his push for reform around the country. Individual legislators also met the public in their home states and districts but in many cases were met with vitriolic protests. In Portsmouth, N.H., Obama told a
RALEIGH, N.C. — Kerr Drug plans to open a third Naturally Kerr site later this fall, with executives saying the company’s initial two stores are performing better than expected. “In three months, sales of natural, organic and homeopathic products at our two Naturally Kerr stores have exceeded our expectations,” president and chief executive officer Anthony
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — There are many reasons people say they do not take their medications, but being busy or simply forgetting top the list, according to a new study from CVS Caremark Corp. The study found that nearly three in 10 (28%) sometimes forget to refill their prescriptions on time, despite the fact that most
DOVER, Del. — A compromise over pharmacy reimbursement rate cuts allowing Walgreen Co. to continue filling Medicaid prescriptions in Delaware will not be final unless the National Association of Chain Drug Stores withdraws a lawsuit over the matter. “The state wants to see the industry lawsuit dropped,” says a Walgreens spokesman. “We are just one
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has added a new wrinkle to its generic drug program, offering a 90-day supply of about 300 generic prescriptions for $10, with free delivery by mail. Wal-Mart is providing the free mail delivery program in 22 states in the Midwest and the Northeast, as well as in the District
NEW YORK — Duane Reade Holdings Inc. has refinanced nearly $350 million of debt through a notes offering and a private equity investment. The holding company for the drug store chain said earlier this month that subsidiaries Duane Reade Inc. and Duane Reade closed an offering of $300 million of 11.75% senior secured notes due
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreen Co. has entered into a joint venture with Vanderbilt Medical Center, a Nashville-based health care facility and a major patient referral center for the mid-South. Under the agreement, Walgreens’ home care division will work with Vanderbilt to provide home infusion and respiratory services. Plans call for the partnership to operate as
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Cardinal Health Inc. will retain its enormous scale after the spin-off of its medical technology business while sharpening its focus, according to incoming chairman and chief executive officer George Barrett. It will be a company “able to provide comprehensive health care and supply chain solutions, but one that will act more
When Len DeMino retired earlier this month after over 50 years of service to the profession of community pharmacy, he closed the door on the golden era of chain drug retailing, an era he helped define. When DeMino began his career in 1958 as a pharmacist for Washington, D.C.-based Peoples Drug Stores, America’s drug chains
