Chain Drug Review articles from November 2005

Chain Drug Review archives from November 2005

Medicaid reform heads in wrong, direction.(National Association of Chain Drug Stores)
November 7, 2005... ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Medicaid reform proposals passed by a Senate committee would, if enacted, seriously jeopardize the program, asserts Craig Fuller, president and chief executive officer of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores. ...

Medic sells drug stores to Walgreens.(Medic Drug Inc.)
November 7, 2005... DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Walgreen Co. will keep open eight of the 23 stores it acquired last month from Cleveland-based Medic Drug. Pharmacy files from the other 15 units have been transferred to nearby Walgreens outlets. Walgreens bought...

Walgreens' milestone is merely a beginning.(a new drug store at Richmond)
November 7, 2005... RICHMOND -- Walgreen Co. continued its torrid pace of expansion late last month, hitting the 5,000-store plateau with the opening of a new unit here. The store in this city's historic Carytown neighborhood is the drug chain's 20th unit in...

Bidding for Albertsons under way.(News)
November 7, 2005... NEW YORK -- CVS Corp., Walgreen Co. and Rite Aid Corp. are pursuing Albertsons Inc.'s Sav-on Drugs and Osco Drug chains, according to sources involved with the supermarket and food/drug combination store operator's ongoing auction. The drug...

After Wilma, chains recover quickly.(Hurricane Wilma)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... MIAMI -- Chain pharmacy operators withstood the onslaught of Hurricane Wilma in south Florida, with most stores reopening for business less than 48 hours after the storm struck. With large stretches of the state left without power in the...

Three execs become Walgreens exec VPs.(Trent Taylor, Greg Wasson and Kermit Crawford promoted, Vice Presidents)
November 7, 2005... DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Walgreen Co. has promoted Trent Taylor, Greg Wasson and Kermit Crawford to the executive vice president level. The three have served the drug chain for a total of 60 years. Taylor has been appointed executive vice...

Wal-Mart has big expansion plans.(Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. intends to open between 270 and 280 Supercenters in the United States during the next fiscal year and add more than 60 million square feet of retail space, an increase of more than 8%. Moreover, as...

NACDS offers ideas in meth fight.(News)(National Association of Chain Drug Stores opposes illegal methamphetamine)
November 7, 2005... ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The National Association of Chain Drug Stores has outlined what it sees as viable strategies for strengthening the fight against methamphetamine production and abuse. While commending Senate and House versions of legislation...

More savings, flu shots are offered by Rite Aid.(Living More, free loyalty plan for seniors introduced)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- Rite Aid Corp. has unveiled two initiatives that reflect its ongoing efforts to meet the needs of its customers. The drug chain has announced that Living More, its free loyalty plan for seniors, is offering more savings....

AmerisourceBergen invests in chain.(News)(PrairieStone Pharmacy)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... VALLEY FORGE, Pa. -- AmerisourceBergen Corp. has bought a $25 million stake in PrairieStone Pharmacy. The cash deal gives the drug wholesaler control over a significant share of the 31-pharmacy chain. How much of a stake...

Coutu net suffers as Eckerd integration costs take toll.(Business)(Jean Coutu Group Inc.)
November 7, 2005... LONGUEUIL, Quebec -- Although revenues rose more than 100% in the first quarter of fiscal 2006, net income plunged more than 50% at the Jean Coutu Group, as expenses related to the integration of acquired Eckerd Corp. assets ran higher than...

Sale of Canadian unit puts A&P back in black.(Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company Inc. suffers loss)
November 7, 2005... MONTVALE, N.J. -- Riding a huge gain on the sale of its Canadian business, A&P swung back to a net profit during the 12 weeks ended September 10. Although sales remained depressed, adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and...

A newcomer arrives on the health care scene.(Joanne Marks, a naturopath on service)
November 7, 2005... Joanne Marks is a naturopath. In a course of study that required five years of college, she has been trained to evaluate the health and quality of life of her clients and recommend a course of treatment to improve health, correct lifestyle...

Wal-Mart sees involvement in Rx as 'essential'.(My Turn)
November 7, 2005... Retail pharmacy is changing rapidly, and Wal-Mart Stores is changing with it. The discounter, whose impressive rise as a dispenser of prescription medications and source of related health care products was noted in this space in the last issue...

Q & A.(Interview)
November 7, 2005... Q: What is Asteres Inc.? A: Asteres Inc. is a San Diego-based company focused on developing secure self-service technologies. Asteres' premier product is ScriptCenter--the first prescription self-checkout kiosk in retail pharmacy that...

Pharmacy meets the challenge of Hurricane Katrina.
November 7, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on August 29 it turned much of the region into a landscape that looked more like the areas of Southeast Asia devastated by the recent tsunami than a recognizable part of the United...

Drug makers there in time of need.(pharmaceutical industry comes forward to help Hurricane Katrina victims)
November 7, 2005... NEW YORK -- The branded and generic pharmaceutical industries have answered the call to help victims of Hurricane Katrina with massive amounts of products and cash. Member companies of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of...

Health care system coordinates, facilitates info.(KatrinaHealth.org site is launched by National Association of Chain Drug Stores and National Community Pharmacists Association to help Hurricane Katrina victims)
November 7, 2005... ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The health care industry's response to Hurricane Katrina has included an unprecedented online service, making electronic medication histories of evacuees available to health care providers across the country. Among the...

Supplier's efforts tell story of many.(Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Proprietary Ltd. helps Hurricane Katrina victims)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... MADISON, N.J. -- Among the pharmaceutical companies that have made notable efforts to help Hurricane Katrina's victims is Wyeth. Endeavoring to assist patients left without access to medications, Wyeth throughout September partnered with...

'It was almost indescribable--a surreal experience'.(Lori Maraist of Albertsons Inc. describes about Hurricane Katrina victims)
November 7, 2005... BATON ROUGE, La. -- Lori Maraist, a divisional pharmacy manager at Albertsons Inc., knows all about the importance of making certain that the right prescriptions are provided to customers in her 30-store region covering Louisiana, northeast...

Albertsons' team caters to the needs of victims.
November 7, 2005... BATON ROUGE, La. -- Because it has no stores in New Orleans, Alabama or Mississippi, Albertsons Inc. was spared much of the direct devastation from Hurricane Katrina that other retailers endured. In fact, within days after the storm, even...

'Some came in with nothing, not even identification'.(pharmacists come to rescue of hurricane victims)
November 7, 2005... BATON ROUGE, La. -- Under other circumstances they would be fierce competitors. But in the immediate aftermath of one of the most devastating storms ever to strike the country, the pharmacy services team at Albertsons Inc. and other...

'Our staff saw this had to be done and made it happen'.(PHARMACY MEETS THE CHALLENGE OF KATRINA)
November 7, 2005... HOUSTON -- Joe Haas had been planning to take his wife and children to Sea World in San Antonio over Labor Day weekend. Instead, he found himself working 18-hour days setting up a trailer pharmacy at the Houston Astrodome to serve evacuees from...

'It was an emotional roller coaster'.(PHARMACY MEETS THE CHALLENGE OF KATRINA)
November 7, 2005... HOUSTON -- Making CVS Corp.'s mobile pharmacy at the Astrodome work took a sense of the big picture as well as attention to detail. Anil Patel displayed both. A pharmacy supervisor who oversees the prescription business at 34 drug...

'People needed a relief valve and we were it'.(PHARMACY MEETS THE CHALLENGE OF KATRINA)(Isaiah Berry of CVS Corp.)
November 7, 2005... BATON ROUGE, La. -- Isaiah Berry's life after Hurricane Katrina was a balancing act. As a CVS Corp. district manager he worked long hours to keep stores running in a city that saw its population double. In fact, to handle the influx of...

'Associates were making a difference in people's lives'.(PHARMACY MEETS THE CHALLENGE OF KATRINA)(John Perkins of Rite Aid Corp.)
November 7, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- Although Rite Aid Corp. district manager John Perkins says he had heard for years what a Category 3 or 4 storm could potentially do to New Orleans and the drug chain's preparations for Hurricane Katrina were exemplary, the shock...

'One major endeavor every day'.(PHARMACY MEETS THE CHALLENGE OF KATRINA)(Malcolm Armstrong of Rite Aid Corp.)
November 7, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- When pharmacist Malcolm Armstrong reported to work at the Rite Aid Corp. store in Harahan, La., a half hour early on the Saturday morning before Hurricane Katrina hit, customers were already milling about, frantic to refill their...

'In a storm, communication is crucial'.(PHARMACY MEETS THE CHALLENGE OF KATRINA)
November 7, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Darryl Micek quickly became familiar with storm preparedness when he became Rite Aid Corp.'s regional vice president for Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi three years ago. The retailer...

'We helped everyone we could'.(PHARMACY MEETS THE CHALLENGE OF KATRINA)(Rite Aid Corp.)
November 7, 2005... D'IBERVILLE, Miss. -- From past experience, the Rite Aid Corp. store here was well prepared for hurricane season, according to pharmacist Renee Culpepper. "Before the storm Rite Aid prepared us in terms of supplies and what to do," she...

'People put their lives on hold to give a hand'.(PHARMACY MEETS THE CHALLENGE OF KATRINA)(Walgreen Co.)
November 7, 2005... JACKSON, Miss. -- As calamitous as Hurricane Katrina was for the Gulf Coast, it was not Mississippi district manager Tyler Hough's first experience with devastation as a Walgreen Co. employee. On September 11, 2001, he was managing a store...

Scope of storm went far beyond game plan.(PHARMACY MEETS THE CHALLENGE OF KATRINA)(Walgreen Co. in aid of disaster victims)
November 7, 2005... WESTWEGO, La. -- Hurricanes are not new to the Gulf Coast, and Walgreen Co. has a hurricane "game plan" to cope with such situations. But the scale of Hurricane Katrina went beyond any possible preparation, according to pharmacy supervisor...

'I let them know what heroes I thought they were'.(PHARMACY MEETS THE CHALLENGE OF KATRINA)(Merlin Collins of Walgreen Co.)
November 7, 2005... DAYTON, Ohio -- Merlin Collins manages a Walgreen Co. drug store here, but it did not take long for him to decide that his place was on the Gulf Coast as Hurricane Katrina approached. Two days after the storm slammed into the region, he told...

'We were able to provide needed Rxs at a moment's notice'.(PHARMACY MEETS THE CHALLENGE OF KATRINA)(Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)
November 7, 2005... BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- As Hurricane Katrina took aim at the Gulf Coast in late August, Bob Dufour's agenda at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Pharmacy & Technology Conference in San Diego changed. Added to the list of complex...

Wal-Mart is always ready to respond.(PHARMACY MEETS THE CHALLENGE OF KATRINA)
November 7, 2005... BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- For Jason Jackson, the executive who oversaw Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s efforts to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina during the first weeks after the storm, the only thing different about what the company did was its scope....

'People didn't know how they would get meds'.(PHARMACY MEETS THE CHALLENGE OF KATRINA)(Amanda Jenkins of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in aid of disaster victims)
November 7, 2005... MONROE, La. -- Amanda Jenkins, chief pharmacist at the Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Supercenter in this town of 53,000 some four-and-a-half hours northwest of New Orleans by car, did not expect to be on the front line in the effort to assist victims of...

Attention turns to what more can be done in the future.(PHARMACY MEETS THE CHALLENGE OF KATRINA)
November 7, 2005... BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has long been committed to continual improvement in all aspects of its business. It should therefore come as no surprise that the discounter brings the same philosophy to its disaster-relief efforts....

Chains get more savvy about how PL can grow their brands.(private label)
November 7, 2005... NEW YORK -- Private label brands continue to be a prime driver of growth for mass retail drug chains. Sales of private label brands achieved a record 13.1% market share in terms of units in 2004, according to research by the Private Label...

Top PL categories by dollar value.(Brief Article)(Illustration)
November 7, 2005... Top PL categories by dollar volume * Annual dollar volume Rank Category (in millions) 1 Vitamins ...

Top PL categories by unit volume.(Brief Article)(Illustration)
November 7, 2005... Top PL categories by unit volume * Annual unit volume Rank Category (in millions) 1 Vitamins ...

Store brands get more interesting.(skin care products introduced)
November 7, 2005... NEW YORK -- Chain drug and other mass retailers that have pharmacies continue to expand the number of store brands they make available to shoppers. Here are some of their latest initiatives: Walgreens Walgreen Co. has launched an...

The trend toward upscale makes presence felt.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... NEW YORK -- While price continues to be the main appeal of private label products, retailers are working hard to offer another enticement: the presence of upscale store brand items. The result of these efforts are that shoppers are finding...

PLMA ready for 'Store Brands Celebration'.(Private Label Manufacturers Association )(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... ROSEMONT, III. -- The Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) is poised for its "Store Brands Celebration" Private Label Trade Show here from November 13 through November 15. More than 4,000 retailers, wholesalers and suppliers are...

Report finds PL gains at expense of brands.(private label)
November 7, 2005... CHICAGO -- A new report by the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) suggests that retailers are wresting marketplace dominance from the national brand manufacturers, with store brands playing an increasingly influential role. ...

Good value for the money does trick.(Private Label)
November 7, 2005... NEW YORK -- More than twothirds of global consumers consider private label products to be a "good alternative" to national brands and an "extremely good value for the money," according to an ACNielsen online study, and nearly as many believe...

CDMA expands Quality Choice.(Chain Drug Marketing Association )(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... NOVI, Mich. -- The Quality Choice private label program developed by the Chain Drug Marketing Association (CDMA) to provide its members with an alternative to the national brands has added a number of new items to its growing portfolio. ...

Retailers make adjustments, ride digital wave in photo.(PHOTOGRAPHY)
November 7, 2005... NEW YORK -- Chain drug stores, discounters and supermarkets are employing various strategies to extend their position in photo merchandising. Earlier this fall Wal-Mart Stores Inc. signed a deal with Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. Inc. in which...

Noritsu road shows aim to educate.(Noritsu America Corp.)
November 7, 2005... BUENA PARK, Calif. -- Noritsu America Corp. has spent much of the year educating retail photofinishers through its "road show events." Company representatives have visited a number of cities to showcase Noritsu equipment, including the...

'Fuji continues to evolve the imaging experience'.(Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. Inc.)
November 7, 2005... VALHALLA, N.Y. -- Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. Inc. is helping pace the industry in connecting retailers and consumers with a range of digital photo printing solutions. At this year's Photo Marketing Association Show Fujifilm exhibited various...

'Polaroid acquisition marks a milestone in the strategic plan of Petters Group'.(Petters Group Worldwide)
November 7, 2005... WALTHAM, Mass. -- Polaroid Corp. has become a wholly owned subsidiary of Petters Group Worldwide, a Minneapolis-based company that purchased the company earlier this year in a transaction valued at $426 million. "The Polaroid acquisition...

'Ferrania helps retailers replace lost revenue'.(Ferrania Technologies)(Interview)
November 7, 2005... WOODBURY, Minn. -- With over 82 years of expertise in producing imaging products and more than 40 years of private label experience, Ferrania Technologies provides the chain drug channel with guidance and support as retailers continue to make...

Kodak's Wi-Fi billed as a first.(Photography)(Eastman Kodak Co. unveils EasyShare-One)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Eastman Kodak Co. has unveiled EasyShare-One, a zoom digital unit touted as the world's first Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) consumer camera, allowing the user to wirelessly upload images to the Kodak EasyShare Gallery web site...

Lifestyles call for all-encompassing personal care regimens.(MEN'S GROOMING)
November 7, 2005... NEW YORK -- Thanks to a highly competitive shaving segment and the rapid growth of specialized skin care, the men's grooming market has been flourishing in recent months. While Information Resources Inc. data shows a double-digit decline...

The needs of men, women differ greatly.(men's toiletries)
November 7, 2005... NEW YORK -- While men have always been concerned with their appearance, it has only been in the past few years that they have turned to skin care products aimed specifically at their unique needs. For most of history men would limit their...

Gillette shaving line a boon for P&G.
November 7, 2005... CINCINNATI -- Of all the products Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G) added to its lineup through the $57 billion acquisition of Gillette Co. none is seen as being more valuable than Gillette's razors and blades. Analysts say that Gillette's...

Suppliers keep adding more blades to razors.(Gillette Fusion)
November 7, 2005... NEW YORK -- How many blades are enough? That seems to be the question at the heart of the men's shaving category, with the two leading players in the market rolling out multiblade razor after multiblade razor. Since Gillette Co. upped...

'Head care' looks like it's here for long haul.(Men's Grooming)(BG Products LLC, HeadBlade LLC introduces new razors)
November 7, 2005... NEW YORK -- Despite differing opinions on what the newest segment in the men's grooming category should be called, products aimed specifically at bald men have become increasingly popular in recent years. While some involved in this...

Men start taking to the aisles and shopping.(Men's Grooming)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... NEW YORK -- A new study of retail executives shows that men's shopping habits are changing and that male consumers are slowly acting more like their female counterparts. The study, done for GQ magazine, shows that a growing number of men...

Pharmacy Provider Services Corp. (PPSC) has chosen Innovation Associates to be a preferred vendor.(TECH: Talk)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Pharmacy Provider Services Corp. (PPSC) has chosen Innovation Associates to be a preferred vendor for pharmacy automation technology. PPSC is one of the nation's largest pharmacy purchasing organizations, with more than 1,300 retail...

Healthnotes Inc. has released Version 7.9-2005 of its food and lifestyle information.(TECH: Talk)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Healthnotes Inc. has released Version 7.9-2005 of its food and lifestyle information for use on web sites and on in-store touch screen kiosks. The information provided in the new version, executives say, reflects the latest scientific and...

Paragon Data Systems.(introduces push-button labeling solution )(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Paragon Data Systems has released a push-button labeling solution that can be custom built for a retailer's specific needs. A spokeswoman notes that the hardware/software solution eliminates the need for preprinted rolls of labels and...

Parata Systems has added the nation's oldest pharmacy.(TECH: Talk)(C.O. Bigelow Chemists Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Parata Systems has added the nation's oldest pharmacy, New York City-based C.O. Bigelow Chemists Inc., to the list of retailers using its automated prescription-filling devices. "We want to engage [our customers] and talk about their health...

Making payments enters a whole new era.(TECHNOLOGY)
November 7, 2005... NEW YORK -- The use of smart cards and contactless payment technology is expected to increase dramatically over the next five years, proponents of the systems say. The proliferation of contactless payment devices, which use a smart chip...

Busy pharmacies need automation.(TECHNOLOGY)
November 7, 2005... NEW YORK -- With the increase of the country's elderly population leading to record use of prescription drugs, more retailers are turning to automation and other forms of technology to meet the growing demand for pharmacists' services. ...

New research shows e-commerce can benefit in-store sales.(TECHNOLOGY)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- As e-commerce enters its second decade innovations will emerge that will make online shopping easier and more engaging, according to a recently released report from Forrester Research Inc. These developments, the report...

P-O-S data an effective weapon in shrink control.(TECHNOLOGY)(point of sale systems)
November 7, 2005... NEW YORK -- Increasing the use of loss-prevention technology is the best way for retailers to make the most of point-of-sale (P-O-S) data, some in the industry are suggesting. "With an integrated loss-prevention and P-O-S system, retailers...

The Smart Card Alliance.(elects Greg Garback as chairman)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... The Smart Card Alliance has chosen a new chairman and the seven members of its 2005/2006 executive committee. Greg Garback, executive officer of the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority's finance department, is the committee's...

Psion Teklogix.(hires Ron Caines)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Ron Caines has been named vice president of marketing at Psion Teklogix. Caines, who has more than two decades of experience as a sales and marketing executive and was previously Psion's vice president of imaging, will oversee the global...

ISD Corp.(hires Kevin Potrzeba as vice president of sales)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... ISD Corp. has named Kevin Potrzeba vice president of sales. Executives at ISD, a marketer of payment management software, note that Potrzeba brings more than 20 years of software sales management experience to the company. Prior to joining ISD...

System simplifies HME business.(TECHNOLOGY)(J.M. Smith Corp.'s QS/1 enters home medical equipment category)
November 7, 2005... SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- A growing number of chain drug retailers are moving into the home medical equipment (HME) category, and J.M. Smith Corp.'s QS/1 has released its point-of-sale (P-O-S) system to HME providers. The system has been fully...

Kiosks are one answer for harried pharmacists.(TECHNOLOGY)(Distributed Delivery Networks Corp.)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... NEW YORK -- With pharmacists increasingly strapped for time, kiosks that dispense medications are becoming more popular. Asteres Inc. and Distributed Delivery Networks Corp. (DDN) have both created such ATM-style machines, which allow...

Wrangling is continuing on Medicaid.(House of Representatives on budget allocation of medicaid spending)
November 21, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Leaders in the House of Representatives said earlier this month that they would probably not be able to pass a budget bill that includes a drastic reduction in Medicaid spending. Despite the expected failure of the measure in...

Merck vows to contest Vioxx suits.(Merck and Company Inc.)
November 21, 2005... WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. -- Merck & Co., having evened its record in Vioxx trials, is promising to individually fight each lawsuit over the painldller. The drug maker this month was cleared by a New Jersey jury of causing the 2001 heart...

Cuti: Duane Reade PBM is different.(Tony Cuti on pharmacy benefits management )
November 21, 2005... NEW YORK -- Duane Reade Inc. has started up a pharmacy benefits management (PBM) company that president and chief executive officer Tony Cuti says will counter the rebate-driven plans that predominate in the industry. Cuti notes that...

Kerr Healthcare Center raises bar for retail Rx.(Kerr Drug Stores Inc.)
November 21, 2005... LENOIR, N.C. -- "The pharmacy of the future" has already arrived in this western North Carolina community. The first Community Healthcare Center by Kerr Drug debuted last month in this Caldwell County town of about 16,000 people. The...

California voters say no to drag ballot initiatives.(Medi-Cal state and fedral program)
November 21, 2005... SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- "Proposition 79, an initiative that would have required drug manufacturers to provide steep discounts to uninsured Californians or lose their chance to participate in the state's Medi-Cal program, was defeated by voters...

Jean Coutu shakes up exec ranks.(Pierre Legault, Michel Coutu, Francois Coutu appointed)
November 21, 2005... LONGUEUIL, Quebec -- Chairman Jean Coutu has returned to the helm of the Jean Coutu Group as interim president and chief executive officer. The company also named Pierre Legault executive vice president with responsibility for completing...

Twomey, Donley, Sari promoted by Rite Aid.(Kevin Twomey, Doug Donley, Robert Sari )(Brief Article)
November 21, 2005... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- Rite Aid Corp. has elevated three members of its management team. Senior vice president and chief accounting officer Kevin Twomey, who had been acting chief financial officer since August, has taken over that post on a...

Walgreens debuts HIV pharmacy.(Brief Article)
November 21, 2005... CHICAGO -- Walgreen Co. has opened a specialized pharmacy here stocking HIV/AIDS medications. The 1,200-square-foot pharmacy debuted this month inside NorthStar Healthcare's recently expanded medical and research center in the city's...

Rite Aid gets the word out on Medicare.(prescription drug benefit)(Brief Article)
November 21, 2005... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- Rite Aid Corp. has begun an extensive educational campaign to provide Medicare beneficiaries with information about the program's new prescription drug benefit. With the coverage set to go into effect on January 1, the...

Bartell unveils in-store health clinics.(Bartell Drug Co., MinuteClinic)(Brief Article)
November 21, 2005... SEATTLE -- Bartell Drug has teamed up with MinuteClinic to open the drug chain's first four in-store health care centers. The clinics--one each in Seattle and the nearby towns of Bellevue, Sammamish and Renton, Wash.--are slated to debut...

Piper joins CDMA, adds a new dimension to trade group.(Chain Drug Marketing Association appoints Anthony Piper )(Brief Article)
November 21, 2005... NOVI, Mich. -- The Chain Drug Marketing Association (CDMA) has hired Anthony Piper as category manager for over-the-counter drugs and beauty aids. The hiring of Piper represents an expansion of the number of category managers at CDMA, and...

Momentum remains unabated at Shoppers Drug Mart.
November 21, 2005... TORONTO -- Shoppers Drug Mart (SDM) continued to roll in the third quarter, posting another double-digit gain in net earnings. The chain's net income for the period jumped by nearly one-fifth from a year ago to $107.7 million (Canadian),...

Maybelline debuts line amid a lot of hoopla.(Brief Article)
November 21, 2005... NEW YORK -- The Maybelline New York Beauty Studio was launched in grand style here late last month. Over a three-day period consumers were invited to partake in mini-makeovers and discuss beauty issues with Maybelline's global consulting...

Joint support supplement for the sensitive.(Windmill Health Products introduces Vegeflex)(Brief Article)
November 21, 2005... WEST CALDWELL, N.J. -- Windmill Health Products has launched what it says is the market's first joint support supplement that is completely shellfish-free and vegetarian. The product, Vegeflex, is formulated with Regenasure, a patented...