WESLEY CHAPEL, N.C. — CVS Health has debuted its first rebranded pharmacies inside Target Corp. stores. The pharmacies, in six stores in North Carolina, are being operated through a store-within-a-store format under the CVS/pharmacy banner. CVS, which completed its $1.9 billion purchase of Target’s 1,672 pharmacies and 79 clinics in December, will rebrand the prescription
CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid Corp. stockholders voted overwhelmingly this month to approve the company’s $17.2 billion acquisition by Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (WBA). Some 97% of the votes cast at a special meeting of stockholders were in favor of the deal. A quorum of 72% of Rite Aid’s total outstanding shares of common
BOISE, Idaho — Albertsons Cos. is expanding the role of Mark Panzer, who joined the company last spring as senior vice president of pharmacy, health and wellness. The retailer announced early this month that it was also putting Panzer in charge of general merchandise and health and beauty aids. “Mark’s impact on our operation in
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Stakeholders in chain pharmacy understandably direct a lot of attention to the giants of the industry, such companies as CVS Health, Walgreens Boots Alliance, McKesson and Kroger. They shouldn’t lose sight, however, of the regional players that, in the aggregate, still account for a substantial part of the business and remain
NEW YORK — Twenty of the country’s largest corporations, including American Express Co., Coca-Cola Co. and Macy’s Inc., have banded together to rein in employee health care costs. The companies have formed Health Transformation Alliance (HTA) to break with wasteful and inefficient marketplace practices that have resulted in employees paying higher premiums, co-payments and deductibles
DEERFIELD, Ill. — In an effort to stem the misuse of prescriptions and the rising incidence of overdoses, Walgreen Co. recently announced the launch of a new initiative to combat drug abuse. Aligning with public and private sector campaigns, Walgreens is making opioid-overdose antidote naloxone available without a prescription in most of its stores. The
NEW YORK — The newest Duane Reade store has taken the chain’s integration with parent company Walgreens to another level while attracting thousands of customers daily with distinctive offerings. The store opened in January. Exterior signs for the outlet, in Penn Station in Manhattan, say Duane Reade by Walgreens. The interior conforms more to a
VARENNES, Quebec — The Jean Coutu Group has launched an online platform that provides customers and their families with a single account from which they can access their health records. Called the Health Record, the platform is a project of the Jean Coutu network of affiliated pharmacist-owners. Customers can sign up and log in at
NEW YORK — PharmaSmart International Inc. and Chain Drug Review have launched a groundbreaking partnership designed to help patients lower their blood pressure at the pharmacy point of care. For the next year, the two companies will generate awareness across community pharmacy about hypertension and help jump-start efforts to reduce rates of uncontrolled blood pressure.
WASHINGTON — About 12.7 million Americans signed up for 2016 health insurance coverage through the government insurance exchanges, surpassing expectations, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said earlier this month. The government began offering subsidies for individual insurance in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act, frequently referred to as Obamacare, and charges a penalty
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — New research published by the CVS Health Research Institute showed a significant improvement in adherence to specialty medications for patients enrolled in a pilot study evaluating Specialty Connect, CVS Health’s specialty prescription services program. New patients enrolled in the pilot were 17.5% more likely to pick up their first refill, and existing
WASHINGTON — Retail sales increased for a third straight month in January. The 0.2% gain matched the previous month’s performance, which the Commerce Department initially reported as a decline but revised upward as more data came in. Economists at the National Retail Federation (NRF) predict retail industry sales this year will exceed their 10-year average
DUBLIN, Ohio — Community pharmacists are reacting positively to a new custom-built medication synchronization program that simplifies the process for patients and caregivers who are filling multiple prescriptions and improves patients’ medication adherence by helping to ensure that they fill all prescriptions every month, according to Cardinal Health Inc. The Cardinal Health MedSync Advantage program
VALLEY FORGE, Pa. — AmerisourceBergen Corp. has inked a long-term distribution deal with Publix Super Markets Inc. for branded and generic pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter products. The agreement also enables Publix’s more than 980 pharmacies across the Southeast to expand patient access to specialty medications. “Publix continues to push the boundaries of how our pharmacy business
