March 25, 2011 by Chain Drug Review
Issue 03-28-2011, News
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreen Co. is stepping out of the pharmacy benefits management (PBM) business. President and chief executive officer Greg Wasson said Walgreens’ deal to sell Walgreens Health Initiatives Inc. (WHI), its PBM unit, to Catalyst Health Solutions Inc. for $525 million will enable the company to concentrate on the prescription drugs and health
March 25, 2011 by Chain Drug Review
Issue 03-28-2011, News
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Until now, chain drug stores have generally not had to cope with the specter of a Walmart pharmacy nearby. The retailer’s focus on opening its huge Supercenters in suburban and small-town locations has left to drug stores the advantage of being able to find sites in all kinds of markets and to
March 25, 2011 by Chain Drug Review
Issue 03-28-2011, News
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Joe Magnacca, who was integral to the renaissance at Duane Reade before its purchase by Walgreen Co., has been named president of daily living products and solutions for Walgreens. In the newly created position, Magnacca will oversee marketing and merchandising operations led by Walgreens chief marketing officer Kim Feil and chief merchandising
March 25, 2011 by Chain Drug Review
Issue 03-28-2011, News
SAN DIEGO — The changing retail environment is putting new demands on the supply chain, according to Kantar Retail chief knowledge officer Bryan Gildenberg. Gildenberg spoke earlier this month at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Supply Chain & Logistics Conference here. His presentation was called “Retail Economics: The Operational Skills Required to Deliver
March 25, 2011 by Chain Drug Review
Issue 03-28-2011, News
VALLEY FORGE, Pa. — AmerisourceBergen Corp. chief executive officer R. David Yost plans to retire from the company on July 1. Steve Collis, who has been AmerisourceBergen’s president and chief operating officer since November, has been named to succeed Yost as the company’s top executive. “Ten years after we announced the merger that created AmerisourceBergen,
March 25, 2011 by Chain Drug Review
Issue 03-28-2011, News
CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid Corp. pharmacies are carrying specially designed drug disposal envelopes, targeting them to customers who want to safely get rid of unused, outdated or unwanted medications. Customers can put unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medications in the envelope and, once sealed. place the envelope in any U.S. Postal Service mailbox. The
March 25, 2011 by Chain Drug Review
Issue 03-28-2011, News
BOSTON — The dramatic growth of the food and beverages category at drug chains and its intersection with the channel’s wellness positioning will be a focus of this year’s National Association of Chain Drug Stores Marketplace Conference. “Take a look at what’s happening in the front end,” says Jim Whitman, senior vice president of member
March 25, 2011 by Chain Drug Review
Issue 03-28-2011, News
WASHINGTON — Prices for branded prescription drugs rose at a faster rate than costs for other medical goods and services over the last four years, according to a federal report. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the “usual and customary” (U&C) price index for the top 100 commonly used drugs increased by an annual
March 25, 2011 by Chain Drug Review
Issue 03-28-2011, News
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Face-to-face interaction between patients and pharmacists can boost medication adherence and cut costs from the health care system, says Dr. Cheryl Pegus, chief medical officer at Walgreen Co. Pegus discussed the evolving role of pharmacists and the growing impact of pharmacist interventions on clinical outcomes earlier this month at the 11th annual
March 25, 2011 by Chain Drug Review
Issue 03-28-2011, Opinion
In a stunning announcement out of Deerfield, Ill., earlier this month Walgreen Co.’s chief executive Greg Wasson informed his company’s 244,000 employees and the wider chain drug store community that Joe Magnacca would be moving to Chicago as the drug chain’s new president of daily living products and solutions. There he will join forces with
March 25, 2011 by Chain Drug Review
Issue 03-28-2011, Opinion
Walgreens’ decision to sell its pharmacy benefits management business to Catalyst Health Solutions for $525 million is sure to intensify the debate about whether drug chains are well served by owning and operating such entities. For Walgreens, at least, the answer is clearly no. The retailer’s homegrown PBM is not insignificant, administering prescription drug coverage
March 15, 2011 by Chain Drug Review
Issue 02-28-2011, News
The last few years have been a rocky road for the cold and allergy category. From the methamphetamine ruling that put pseudoephedrine (PSE) products behind the counter, to concerns over the use of cold medicines in young children and product recalls from a major product manufacturer, the category has faced many challenges. Despite these hurdles,
March 15, 2011 by Chain Drug Review
Issue 02-14-2011, News
It is well known that the home health care category is poised for substantial growth over the next few decades. For years industry professionals have been pointing to the unprecedented number of Americans about to enter older adulthood. The numbers are startling. More than 7,500 Americans will turn 65 each day in 2011. By 2025
March 11, 2011 by Chain Drug Review
Issue 03-14-2011, News
NEW YORK — Is social media the retailing wave of the future, or will it minimize store visits and decrease basket sizes? Whatever the answer is, retailers and suppliers agree that it’s here to stay, and they are dramatically boosting their links with shoppers through Facebook and Twitter as well as through mobile web sites