ALEXANDRIA, Va. — In tandem with a congressional hearing, the National Community Pharmacists Association called on lawmakers to take a closer look at recent generic drug price hikes and their impact on patients and community pharmacists. On Wednesday, the Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing titled “Sudden Price Spikes in Off-Patent Drugs: Perspectives
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 — President Obama highlighted the need to change prescribing practices for opioid medications, channel more resources for addiction treatment and facilitate access to naloxone, a drug that helps prevent overdose deaths. “More Americans now die every year from drug overdoses than they do from motor vehicle crashes. The majority of those overdoses involve legal
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
The Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) will co-host a one-day pharmacy quality ratings workshop with the American Pharmacists Association, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the National Community Pharmacists Association and the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations. The program will be held at the Westin Hotel in Old Town Alexandria, Va., on November 9.
WASHINGTON — The pharmacy industry is doing its part to help stem the tide of prescription drug abuse and heroin use as part of wide-ranging, public- and private-sector efforts announced this week by President Barack Obama. At a community forum in Charleston, W.Va., Obama and administration officials highlighted the need to change prescribing practices for
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
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The National Community Pharmacists Association is working with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to help spur enrollment in health insurance plans. In a welcome video aired Monday at the 2015 NCPA Annual Convention and Trade Exposition, HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell unveiled a partnership with NCPA in which community
WASHINGTON — McKesson Corp. and its Health Mart pharmacy franchise are showcasing solutions to help community pharmacies grow and fine-tune their business at the 117th Annual Convention and Trade Exposition of the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA). Health Mart said Friday that at the NCPA Annual Convention, which runs Oct. 10 to 14 in National
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
