DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens Boots Alliance may have to divest up to 400 of the Rite Aid stores it is acquiring to satisfy antitrust regulations, analysts said. WBA is not publicly speculating on how many units it will have to shutter, said chief executive officer Stefano Pessina. “We have analyzed things very carefully,” he said
WASHINGTON — Two U.S. senators with oversight for antitrust issues have called on federal regulators to take a close look at Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.’s $17.2 billion deal to acquire Rite Aid Corp. Sen. Mike Lee (R., Utah), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Pharmacies offering appointment-based medication synchronization (ABMS) can improve patients’ adherence to their prescriptions and, in turn, produce better health outcomes, a study conducted for the National Community Pharmacists Association and Arkansas Pharmacists Association finds. NCPA said Monday that the one-year study, done by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Department of
ARLINGTON, Va. — For a congressional hearing on medication therapy management, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores emphasized the value of pharmacists in providing MTM services, especially in improving medication adherence, patient health and health care affordability for Medicare patients. In a statement submitted Wednesday to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Independent community pharmacies are making strides in diversifying their revenue despite pressure from thinning prescription reimbursements and narrow pharmacy networks, according to the National Community Pharmacists Association. The 2015 NCPA Digest, released Tuesday and sponsored by Cardinal Health, shows how independent drug stores are serving up new pharmacy services — mainly focused
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Community pharmacies will be able to offer patients direct access to lab tests and health screenings via a partnership announced by the National Community Pharmacists Association. NCPA said Friday that it will collaborate with consumer-direct lab testing provider Ulta Lab Tests LLC to roll out an online community lab testing platform to
Congressional scrutiny of the recent health insurer mega-mergers is a welcome sight, according to B. Douglas Hoey, CEO of the National Community Pharmacists Association. This summer, health insurer M&As reached a peak with Anthem’s $48 billion purchase of Cigna and Aetna’s $34 billion acquisition of Humana. On Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Regulatory
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association said it has compiled evidence that underscores the need for federal sunshine legislation to provide more insight into below-cost reimbursements from pharmacy benefit managers that don’t keep pace with rising market costs for generic drugs. NCPA said Monday that it recently asked members for examples illustrating the
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association has called on Congress, Medicare and industry stakeholders to strike a balance in stamping out fraud in Medicare Part D while preserving patient access to critical medications. In comments submitted on Tuesday in conjunction with a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing, titled “Medicare Part D: Measures
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Eleven congressmen have asked the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for information on the enforcement of transparency measures for generic drug payments in Medicare Part D plans for 2016. The National Community Pharmacists Association said Thursday that this week U.S. Reps. Rick Allen (R., Ga.), Rod Blum (R., Iowa), Buddy
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), American Pharmacists Association (APhA) and National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA) have asked the Food and Drug Administration to delay enforcement of a July 1 product tracing deadline for dispensers of pharmaceuticals. In a letter this week to the FDA’s Office of Compliance, the three
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Independent community pharmacists gathered this week at the 2015 National Community Pharmacists Association Annual Legislative Conference to advocate for legislative solutions that preserve patients’ ready access to prescription drugs and pharmacy services. The conference began with a keynote speech from community pharmacist and U.S. Representative Buddy Carter (R., Ga.) and was followed by various panel discussions and policy
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association has endorsed The Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act of 2015 (S. 1190), a Senate bill that would expand the number of pharmacies that could offer discounted co-payments for prescription drugs under Medicare Part D. The legislation was introduced Tuesday by Sens. Shelly Moore Capito (R.,
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association is giving a thumbs-down to a proposed preferred pharmacy pilot program for TRICARE, the health benefits program for the nation’s armed forces. NCPA said Monday that the program, contained in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (H.R. 1735), is scheduled to be considered by
