WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark Corp. has acquired the Brazilian drug chain Drogaria Onofre. Announced by president and chief executive officer Larry Merlo during a February 6 conference call on the company’s strong fourth quarter results, the acquisition marks CVS’ first venture outside of the United States. Terms of the deal for the 44-store Sao
WASHINGTON — Kay Hagan understands what community pharmacy can do. A combination of personal and legislative experience has given the junior senator from North Carolina an appreciation of the profession’s ability to exert a positive influence on both the lives of patients and the efficient, cost-effective delivery of health care. That understanding has made her
NEW YORK — In recent years the role of the pharmacist has evolved and assumed greater importance in the country’s health care system. In community pharmacy increasing emphasis has been placed on the expertise of the pharmacist in guiding patients in their use of prescription medications. As the American Pharmacists Association points out, their extensive
PLYMOUTH, Minn. — Thrifty White Pharmacy’s Medication Synchronization (Med Sync) program has significantly boosted adherence, a new study shows. Patients enrolled in Med Sync were 3.4 to 6.1 times more likely to adhere to prescriptions than a control group, the Virginia Commonwealth University study found. “Medication Synchronization is a huge opportunity for our industry to
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark Corp. recently enhanced two pharmacy-related programs. One expands CVS/pharmacy’s ExtraCare loyalty card plan with the launch of ExtraCare Pharmacy & Health Rewards. The other move extends CVS Caremark’s Pharmacy Advisor program to cover an additional five chronic conditions: asthma, breast cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depression and osteoporosis. Executives say
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores and seven other health care groups have asked a federal appeals court to review its decision to allow California to reduce its Medi-Cal reimbursement rates. The eight groups’ request for the full Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to review the ruling comes after a three-judge
NEW YORK — In the latest effort to increase its customer engagement, Duane Reade has integrated its stores into the mobile game Ingress. The 250-store drug chain that is part of Walgreen Co. is one of the first retail partners in the New York market for the game that blends the physical and virtual world.
MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — The Katz Group has appointed Sharon Driscoll executive vice president and chief financial officer. The former Sears Canada Inc. and Loblaw Cos. executive joins the company that operates the Rexall and Rexall Pharma Plus pharmacy chains in Canada after more than a quarter century working in finance. Most recently Driscoll was Sears’
ARLINGTON, Va. — With the nation’s health care system on the verge of a new era, advocates for community pharmacy are urging federal officials to ensure that community pharmacists play a greater role going forward. As the government works to advance the establishment of innovative health care delivery systems such as accountable care organizations (ACOs)
Earlier this month the brightest people in chain drug store retailing gathered in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. They came to analyze the state of their businesses and, more specifically, the direction of chain drug retailing in America. The discussion was not, as so many such gatherings are these days, primarily about Walgreens or CVS or Rite
The tremendous challenges and opportunities facing our nation — both directional and financial — translate into challenges and opportunities for chain pharmacy. Following the most recent November elections, our country has retained the same set of political players to address many of the same fiscal issues that continue to perplex the nation’s government. As a
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Regional drug chains that fill the right niche can not only survive, but thrive. That is the message of successful small players across the country, many of whom are now gathered here for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Regional Chain Conference. In North Carolina Kerr Drug “continues to work
NEW YORK — With the number of influenza cases reaching epidemic levels in many parts of the country, drug chains across the nation have been working to keep their stores supplied with flu vaccine to meet the surging demand for vaccinations. For example, Walgreen Co., CVS/pharmacy and Rite Aid Corp. all reported flu shot shortages
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — Cheryl Mahoney has been named vice president of retail merchandising and promotion and business development at CVS/pharmacy. She is now responsible for maximizing the impact and profitability of the retailer’s promotional efforts across all front-end categories. The chain drug operator also announced that Alex Perez-Tenessa has assumed Mahoney’s previous duties under the
