Drug Store News articles from April 2009

Drug Store News archives from April 2009

Walmart's Agwunobi talks health care.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Interview)
April 20, 2009... John Agwunobi is president of Walmart's health-and-wellness division, where he is responsible for the retailer's health-and-wellness businesses, including pharmacy, optical and health clinics. Prior to joining Walmart in September 2007, he...

Industry loses a legend.(REMEMBERING VERN BRUNNER)(In memoriam)
April 20, 2009... DEERFIELD, Ill.--Merchant extraordinaire Vern Brunner once described his boss, former Walgreens chairman and CEO Dan Jorndt, as "a good listener, a great idea guy and a great merchant" with "spectacular people skills," as well as "a firm...

CVS Caremark, Blue Cross of N.J. hit milestone in e-prescribing adoption.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)
April 20, 2009... WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- Crossing a significant threshold in the ongoing campaign by healthcare providers to convert the nation's physicians to paperless prescribing, CVS Caremark and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey announced this month...

Take Care ads target payers and patients.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)
April 20, 2009... DEERFIELD, Ill.--You don't have to look far to find the solutions that today's robust retail pharmacy business model is providing for both employers and consumers to help save on health care. Just check your daily newspaper. Within the...

Rite Aid boosts sales with Brooks/Eckerd.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)
April 20, 2009... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- A full four quarters of Brooks/Eckerd sales results helped boost Rite Aid revenues by 8.1% to $26.3 billion for its fiscal year 2009 ended Feb. 28, Rite Aid reported earlier this month. "Despite continued weakness in the...

What the future has 'in store'.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(GfK Custom Research North America)(Brief article)
April 20, 2009... BELLEVUE, Wash. -- The Hartman Group is teaming up with GfK Custom Research North America on the launch of a new syndicated study; called Future Buy, to depict what retailing strategy will look like in the future as American shoppers emerge on...

Walmart offers unique healthcare solutions.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)
April 20, 2009... BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- With major changes looming for the nation's healthcare system, recent actions by Walmart suggest the company intends to prepare for the uncertainty of health care's future by helping define it through cost reduction and...

Fourth Armada specialty Rx Summit draws 1,000.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Armada Health Care)(Conference news)
April 20, 2009... LAS VEGAS -- The specialty pharmacy market is a lot less fragmented than it was just a few years ago, a fact that is reflected clearly in the rapid growth of the Armada Specialty Pharmacy Summit. Held here last month at the Wynn resort and...

IRI talks good business in poor economy.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Information Resources Inc.)(Summit 2009: Reinventing CPG and Retail Conference)(Conference news)
April 20, 2009... LAS VEGAS -- Even as the state of the economy has redefined how consumers make purchasing decisions, the fact is that over the course of the two days that comprised Information Resources' annual CPG Summit event, which convened here late last...

Specialty Rx & Armada: Armada Health Care.(Q&A)(Interview)
April 20, 2009... Founded in 2004 by Lawrence and Robert Irene and their father, Sandy--the respective CEO, president and chairman--Armada Health Care has become a major company for comprehensive access to the specialty pharmacy market. Drug Store News spoke...

Chain pharmacy steps up to the plate.(PUBLISHER'S PERSPECTIVE)
April 20, 2009... When it comes to solving complicated problems, the U.S. government is like most people; it looks for the easy way out. So, when it comes to the complicated challenge of reducing healthcare costs, that means forcing retail pharmacy to take less...

Vern had some something special.(OPINION)(Vern Brunner)(Viewpoint essay)
April 20, 2009... "Cancer can take away all my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever." --Jim Valvano, former head coach, North Carolina State...

The Drugs Store News [power.sub.x] 50.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Statistical table)(Financial report)
April 20, 2009... THE DRUGS STORE NEWS [POWER.sub.x] 50 2008 Rx 2008 total Rank Company sales * corp. sales 1 Walgreens, Deerfield, III. $35,500 $59,000 2 CVS...

Drug stores emerging as solutions to healthcare crisis.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)
April 20, 2009... Look for 2009 to be the year that America rediscovers the community pharmacist and the local drug store. An economy in tatters and a cash-bleeding healthcare system in crisis are upending traditional ways of thinking about the way health...

Mass market pharmacy slows in response to economy.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)
April 20, 2009... Mass-market pharmacy slowed appreciably during 2008, as leading national operators and regional players reigned in expansion amid an ever worsening economic downturn. Walmart and Target, the two biggest drivers of new store activity for the...

Health trends help Rx find its niche in supermarkets.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)
April 20, 2009... Supermarket pharmacy and its ability to tie in with food and nutrition has never been as critical as it is today, as consumers struggle to stay healthy amid the economic downfall. As the fastest-growing segment of retail pharmacy, up by...

Regionals on the offensive to ensure healthy futures.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)
April 20, 2009... Today's economy is negatively impacting all retailers, large and small. However, regional operators, for once, may have a slight edge over their national counterparts--they don't need to carry nearly as much inventory to feed their distribution...

Seeking shelter in a storm, independents build support.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)
April 20, 2009... The 1-2-3 punch of an economy in free fall, a continuing slide in prescription dispensing profits and increasingly daunting competition from big-box combo stores and chain pharmacies has bent, but not broken, most of the nation's 23,000-plus...

CVS takes on healthcare reform with Proactive Care.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(CVS Caremark Corp.)(Company overview)
April 20, 2009... Year 2009 is certain to be interesting for CVS Caremark, as this self-proclaimed pharmacy healthcare service company takes greater strides in helping to keep Americans healthy; drives down costs for patients, employers and payers; and vows to...

Renewal effort takes root at industry giant.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Company overview)
April 20, 2009... Who could have predicted in late 2007 that within a year, the nation's most storied, most successful and most consistently profitable drug store chain would undergo wrenching changes in its fundamental business plan, sweeping shifts in its...

Pursuing growth through disruptive innovation.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Financial report)
April 20, 2009... The pace at which Walmart's physical presence is expanding may have slowed, but the company is making its influence felt in other ways when it comes to the world of health and wellness. Most notably, Walmart continues to establish itself as...

Brooks/Eckerd improvements help balance concerns.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Financial report)
April 20, 2009... With surveys revealing that this economy has Americans forsaking their prescription drug therapies in an effort to stretch their budgets, more people are growing concerned about the business of retail pharmacy, especially such debt-leveraged...

Offering affordable care with Little Clinic growth.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)
April 20, 2009... Kroger is invested heavily in pharmacy and related health operations, and is continuing to strengthen the range of products and services it offers customers. Since 2006, Kroger has been providing customers with 30-day supplies of selected...

Format, pharmacy overhaul contribute to strength.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Financial report)
April 20, 2009... Don't expect food-store and pharmacy giant Safeway to take a back seat in the massive campaign to overhaul the nation's overwrought healthcare system. The company's chairman, president and CEO Steve Burd has emerged as an articulate and vocal...

Fusing 'Fresh & Healthy' elements for premium care.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Financial report)
April 20, 2009... Chris Dimos, president of pharmacy, late last year linked Supervalu's overarching approach to health, drug and nutrition to a single word, "holistic." The retailer continues to look at the whole store when considering how to serve prescription...

Laying the groundwork for recovery by changing focus.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Target Corp.)(Financial report)
April 20, 2009... TO turn a common analogy on its head: If a rising tide lifts all boats, including the smallest and least seaworthy, then the reversal also is true: all boats, even the biggest and sturdiest, end up on the mud when the tide goes out. Such...

Pooling strengths to broaden in-store, online appeal.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Financial report)
April 20, 2009... Maybe there's room for three mass merchandise chains after all. For the past two decades, Kmart has absorbed staggering competition from its arch-rival, Walmart, and additional pressure from its more upscale discount-store counterpart, Target....

Making green renovations, offering 'Healthy Ideas'.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)
April 20, 2009... Anyone who hasn't visited one of Ahold's stores in the United States in the last year might think they're looking at a completely different company's stores. In August 2008, the Amsterdam, Netherlands-based supermarket operator announced...

Cardinal support helps make independents leaders.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Financial report)
April 20, 2009... For small-scale drug store retailers operating in a global economic meltdown, it probably helps to have powerful allies. That's the rationale driving Leader Pharmacy, the 3,400-store network of independently owned drug stores that derive their...

A 'Premier' way to stay ahead of the competition.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Company overview)
April 20, 2009... As parent company AmerisourceBerg en merged its old Family Pharmacy network of independent drug stores into its resurgent Good Neighbor Pharmacy operations and marketing umbrella, GNP has continued a rapid growth spurt, bringing the muscle of...

Putting the 'International' back in MSI.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Financial report)
April 20, 2009... Medicine Shoppe International lately has been living up to its name. Tammy Donelson, a spokeswoman for the St. Louis-based retail pharmacy franchiser, said international growth has outpaced growth in the United States, with 10 stores recently...

Rx-tra Savings, remodels lead company efforts in 2009.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Financial report)
April 20, 2009... Albertsons LLC, which operates 252 stores in eight states under the Albertsons, Grocery Warehouse and Super Saver Foods banners, is geared up for 2009, as it bolsters its pharmacy operations with the recent expansion of its discount generic...

Focusing on store support for 2,000 nationwide units.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Financial report)
April 20, 2009... Community pharmacy's fastest-growing franchise network is on its way to becoming a household name. And at McKesson Corp.'s Health Mart retail division it's about quality, at least as much as quantity. "We want to make sure we're adding the...

Potential merger to foster symbiotic relationship.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(united drugstores Inc.)(associated pharmacies Inc)
April 20, 2009... United Drugs and the Associated Pharmacies Inc. on Feb. 23 announced that the organizations' boards of directors voted to merge. If the merger is approved, the new group's membership will exceed 2,000. United CEO Bruce Semingson described...

Expansion proves weathering of economic storm.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Financial report)
April 20, 2009... Retailers have felt the economic pinch, of late, but the club/ warehouse leader isn't having too many problems. In January, Costco CEO Jim Sinegal said that the membership retailer based in Issaquah, Wash., expected private-label products to...

Organic growth, acquisitions propel toward milestone.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Company overview)
April 20, 2009... Publix achieved record growth in 2008 with the opening of 79 supermarkets, and 2009 is shaping up to be an even more momentous year, as the $24 billion company looks to retain its leadership position and soon will open its 1,000th store. ...

Blowing away Texas with focus on wellness, energy.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(H.E. Butt Grocery Co.)
April 20, 2009... The homegrown giant of Texas food and drug retailing is serious about pharmacy. And H.E. Butt Grocery's message to pharmacy consumers in the Lone Star State-repeated constantly through ads in all media--is that its services at the pharmacy...

Solid demand, changing leadership reflect future.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Company overview)(Financial report)
April 20, 2009... Sam's Club produced solid sales growth last year, as the compelling value proposition of the warehouse club experience became increasingly attractive to consumers. Nowhere was this phenomenon more apparent than at the opening of a new...

Taking the 'Express' lane to a successful concept.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Company overview)
April 20, 2009... Giant Eagle plans to expand its minigrocer/c-store/ pharmacy hybrid into the Pittsburgh market this year, after making some final adjustments to the two-year live prototype--the 13,500-sq.-ft. Giant Eagle Express. It's a concept that Giant...

New look, new leadership for city-centric pharmacy.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Company overview)
April 20, 2009... Anyone who lives or has spent some time in Manhattan can't help but notice the changes underway at Duane Reade, as the homegrown pharmacy retailer works to develop an "urban-centric" box and rebrand its stores. "We have begun transforming...

Pharmacy focus on generics, OTC on private label.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(over the counter)(Company overview)
April 20, 2009... A tight economy isn't all bad news for Marc's, a chain that has always stressed its everyday low price position. Founded in 1979, Marc Glassman Inc. operates 60 drug stores; 54 Marc's Discount Drug Stores in northeast Ohio and six Xpect...

Niche chain holds its own on retail giant's home turf.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Company overview)
April 20, 2009... If drug store chains had individual personalities, USA Drug would resemble the small but scrappy kid everyone remembers on the high school football team. Running a broadly merchandised drug store with a big front end in Bentonville,...

PBM, Live Better! at forefront for grocery retailer.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Pharmacy Benefit Administrator)(Company overview)
April 20, 2009... As a grocer with 444 stores in eight states, it goes without saying that food is an important part of business for The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co., but that in no way means that its pharmacy business is an afterthought. Actually, quite...

Pharmacy proves a strong asset for discount chain.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Company overview)(Financial report)
April 20, 2009... Discounters fared fairly well in last year's poor economic environment, especially as more and more consumers looked for ways to help stretch their dollars. Fred's chain of 663 discount centers improved sales by 1.8% on a comparable basis,...

Successful remodeling efforts lead resurgence.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Company overview)
April 20, 2009... Winn-Dixie's remodeling program, which the grocer first began emphasizing in 2007 as it exited Chapter 11 reorganization, is beginning to bear some pretty significant fruit across the five sunbelt states in which the Winn-Dixie and SaveRite...

Be Well program heads up expanding pharmacy focus.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Company overview)
April 20, 2009... Meijer continues to expand health services and, going forward, looks to make pharmacy, health maintenance and nutrition significant parts of its evolution as a retailer. In November, Meijer added a new class of health-related services...

Carving out its niche as a cancer screening center.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Company overview)
April 20, 2009... Many regional retail pharmacy chains have sought to carve out niches for themselves in areas ranging from vaccinations to chronic disease management. Based in Gouverneur, N.Y., Kinney Drugs has established itself as a center for cancer...

Integrated care model builds ties to health system.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Company overview)
April 20, 2009... Kerr Drug, the chain drug store industry's leading innovator in clinical care and pharmacy-based health and wellness, still is pushing the bounds of what retail pharmacy can do. Kerr has extended its reach as a community health resource....

Redesign, expansion keep minor player in competition.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Company overview)
April 20, 2009... Despite being a relatively small player in a mass merchandising market dominated by the likes of Walmart and Kmart, Shopko has expanded rapidly in the space of a few months. It opened in March a new store in Council Bluffs, Iowa, featuring...

Community, online programs drive health initiatives.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Company overview)
April 20, 2009... Raley's takes a community-based approach to pharmacy and health-related initiatives. It looks at neighborhood needs and addresses them first in the community and then, sometimes, online. Raley's primarily operates its eponymous banner, but...

Health efforts, store changes garner industry notice.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Company overview)
April 20, 2009... A grocery store and drug store chain whose stores range in size from that of conventional supermarkets to 80,000 sq. ft. is toning down one of its newest stores. In November, West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee announced the opening of a...

Nutritional value plays 'starring' role for supermarket.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)
April 20, 2009... Nestled among the rolling hills of New England and upstate New York, one supermarket chain has become a leader in promoting the health of its customers. Hannaford Supermarkets, based in Scarborough, Maine, and owned by Belgium-based...

Loyalty of Twin Cities' shoppers remains prime motive.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)
April 20, 2009... On the national scale of pharmacy retailing, the big chains create the thunder, but in Minnesota, and particularly in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul, homegrown favorite Snyders Drug Stores still wields clout and customer loyalty. ...

Nonprofit earns its keep, adds For Your Well Being.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Aurora Pharmacy)(Financial report)
April 20, 2009... Of all the stars in the retail pharmacy galaxy, Aurora Pharmacy is one of the most unusual. The typical retail pharmacy operates, like any business, on a for-profit model, but Aurora Pharmacy is part of the vast nonprofit organization...

Helping consumers 'Sav-Mor' with new Rx program.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Brief article)
April 20, 2009... It wasn't easy being a retailer in Michigan in 2008, but Sav-Mor found strategies to help the group of franchised pharmacies weather the storm. "Michigan is very tough right now, but we're about to survive because we're pretty flexible," said...

D.C. pharmacy capitalizes on specialty focus.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Care Pharmacy)(Financial report)
April 20, 2009... Dispensing prescriptions for more than 40 Congressional leaders in just one of its D.C.-area stores, Care Pharmacy, a 55-strong group of independents, serves as an ideal touchstone on the real benefits delivered by community pharmacy. ...

Taking steps to expand infusion footprint in 2009.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Financial report)
April 20, 2009... BioScrip, a specialty pharmaceutical healthcare organization that is comprised of specialty pharmaceutical services and PBM services, has outlined several key growth initiatives for 2009, including finalizing the implementation of its...

Flexing pharmacy muscle with promos, service speed.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Company overview)
April 20, 2009... After almost tripling its store size in 2007 with the purchase of 132 Albertsons locations, Save Mart is beginning to flex its pharmacy muscles with a number of pharmacy programs planned through the rest of 2009. For example, as part of a...

Retailer regroups and rebounds after hurricane impact.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)
April 20, 2009... Brookshire Bros. last month re-opened its Liberty, Texas, location--closed since Hurricane Ike struck on Sept. 13, 2008--and announced plans to open a relocated store in Salado, Texas, this fall, which will expand the footprint of its current...

DME drives traffic, builds shopper base for Ohio chain.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Company overview)
April 20, 2009... Discount Drug Mart celebrated its 40-year anniversary in February, and now fields 68 stores in more than 20 counties across Ohio, including Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati. The 25,000-sq.-ft, stores stock more than 40,000 items, ranging from a...

Serving rural communities with state-of-the-art tech.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Company overview)(Brief article)
April 20, 2009... With many of its stores in rural areas and small towns in the Midwest, 85-unit Thrifty White is a chain with unique opportunities. With the advent of Medicare Part D, accreditation for Medicare Part B and the aging population, the chain has...

New deals make Web provider top click-and-ship co.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Brief article)
April 20, 2009... Gone is the deal with Rite Aid, which included the prescription refills sold online through Drugstore.com's Web store or Rite Aid's online store. The program netted the online retailer $106.4 million in revenue last year. That transforms...

Grocer gains attention with dollar-saving deals.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Financial report)(Brief article)
April 20, 2009... Weis Markets in recent months has combated a down economy with a number of appealing, dollar-saving deals for its customers. In March, the grocer announced the expansion of its gas rewards program in central Pennsylvania. "In recent years,...

Health initiatives from multiple angles.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Financial report)(Brief article)
April 20, 2009... Schnucks continues to push new pharmacy initiatives as a critical operation for serving the needs of customers in a territory that now stretches from Wisconsin to Mississippi. Last year, following up on a free oral antibiotic initiative it...

Remodels, quality service provide convenience.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Brief article)
April 20, 2009... Under Rick Rayford's first full year as president and CEO, Brookshire Grocery updated several of its storefronts, including Shreveport, La., where the remodel of the 38,500-sq.-ft. unit included an expanded pharmacy with a drive-through window....

Oldest family chain takes cautious approach to 2009.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Financial report)(Brief article)
April 20, 2009... Like many other retailers, Bartell Drugs is proceeding through 2009 with caution. "The economy is really volatile and uncertain, and you are just trying to be prepared for it the best way you can. And that means being smart about your...

Returning to low-priced roots with scaled-down SKUs.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Company overview)(Brief article)
April 20, 2009... Navarro Discount Pharmacies is focused on returning to its roots with an everyday low pricing strategy, and is remerchandising its stores to accentuate fast-moving items, while trimming SKUs. "The board decided that we were not comfortable...

Regional player focuses on value, access, convenience.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Financial report)(Brief article)
April 20, 2009... For Fruth Pharmacy operating its business efficiently and creating value for shoppers is more important than ever. "We have to be as efficient as we can be in everything we do, and try to grow the business knowing that these are tough...

Hybrid loyalty card program, prototype drive success.(09 DRUG STORE NEWS ANNUAL REPORT)(Financial report)(Brief article)
April 20, 2009... Lewis Drug's president and CEO, Mark Griffin, knows that 2009 will have its challenges, but the outlook for the company looks bright, thanks in part to a new hybrid loyalty card program and new store prototype. Lewis Drug is seeing success...

Diabetes 'challenge' yields health savings.(CHAIN PHARMACY)
April 20, 2009... WASHINGTON -- Retail pharmacists working with the cooperation of local employer-based health plan sponsors can dramatically reduce the costs of diabetic health care, a major, multi-year demonstration project has found. The result, said project...

Hamburg nominated for FDA commissioner.(CHAIN PHARMACY)
April 20, 2009... WASHINGTON -- A moment that the drug industry had long awaited arrived last month when president Barack Obama formally announced the nomination of a new commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. Obama selected Margaret Hamburg,...

Courts take pharmacy side in Medicaid battles.(CHAIN PHARMACY)
April 20, 2009... NEW YORK -- Federal judges in two West Coast states sided with community pharmacy advocates in recent weeks, blocking, at least for the moment, controversial plans by the states to cut Medicaid prescription payments. The moves in...

Rising health and pharmacy costs fuel noncompliance and switch to generics.(CHAIN PHARMACY)
April 20, 2009... ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Two new studies point to rising concerns among Americans over the growing costs of health care and health insurance. Worse, the new research indicated that many are shirking medical and dental checkups because they say they...

FDA sends Rx companies warnings for unapproved drugs on the market.(CHAIN PHARMACY)(food and drug administration)
April 20, 2009... NEW YORK -- Lurking deep within the giant universe of prescription drugs are some drugs that, unbeknownst even to doctors who prescribe them, do not have approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Nine companies learned that the hard...

Eli Lilly and Co.(Supplier News)(Brief article)
April 20, 2009... The Food and Drug Administration has approved an additional use of a drug by Eli Lilly and Co. used to treat severe depression. The agency approved Symbyax (olanzapine and fluoxetine hydrochloride) capsules for treatment-resistant depression....

Daiichi Sankyo.(Supplier News)(Daiichi Sankyo Company Ltd)(Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd.)(Brief article)
April 20, 2009... Daiichi Sankyo will use a generic drug maker it acquired months ago to distribute one of its hypertension drugs in India, the Japanese drug maker has announced. Daiichi will allow Gurgaon, India-based Ranbaxy to promote and market Olvance...

Watson Pharmaceuticals'.(Supplier News)(Brief article)
April 20, 2009... The U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware has ruled that Watson Pharmaceuticals' generic version of an ADHD drug does not infringe the branded drug makers' patent. Watson announced the court ruling, saying judge Joseph Farnan found...

Mylan.(Supplier News)(Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc.)(Matrix Labs)(Brief article)
April 20, 2009... The FDA has given the first tentative approval under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief to a Mylan subsidiary. Mylan has announced that Matrix Labs, in which the Pittsburgh-based company owns a 71.2% controlling interest with plans...

Novartis.(Supplier News)(Brief article)
April 20, 2009... The FDA has approved Novartis's Afinitor (everolimus) tablets, for treating advanced kidney cancer, including renal cell cancer, in patients whose disease has progressed after treatment with other therapies. "Targeted cancer therapies like...

Rx mergers on the rise.(CHAIN PHARMACY)(pharmaceutical industry)
April 20, 2009... NEW YORK -- The branded pharmaceutical industry is no stranger to consolidation, given the multitude of drug makers that , have combined their names, and the behemoths that have swallowed up smaller competitors. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

6th Drug Stores News Diabetes Roundtable.(CHAIN PHARMACY)(Editorial)(Excerpt)
April 20, 2009... Following is an excerpt from Drug Store News' annual Diabetes Roundtable. For the complete text, see Drug Store News, March 6, 2009. DAVE WENDLAND, HAMACHER: What is Takeda doing, to reach out to families dealing with diabetes? DION...

Surescripts taps banking, tech veteran as CEO.(CHAIN PHARMACY)(SureScript Systems Inc. appoints Harry Totonis as chief executive officer)
April 20, 2009... ALEXANDRIA, Va., and ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Shedding the dual-leadership management structure that has guided the company since its merger in 2008, electronic prescribing platform provider Surescripts has tapped banking and technology expert Harry...

BTC report garners little industry interest, for now.(OVER THE COUNTER)(Behind-the-counter drugs )(Editorial)
April 20, 2009... BTC might as well stand for back to the chalkboard for all the interest the Government Accountability Office's updated report on a behind-the-counter class of drugs generated among consumer publications or Congress last month. In the week...

CHPA promotes cough-cold awareness with comprehensive 'Treat with Care' program.(OVER THE COUNTER)(Consumer Healthcare Products Association)
April 20, 2009... NAPLES, Fla. -- The big issue addressed by the Consumer Healthcare Products Association last month at its 2009 Annual Executive Conference was, without surprise, the economy. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Much has changed since we met last...