Drug Store News articles from March 2007

Drug Store News archives from March 2007

Retail industry loses a legend: Charles R. Walgreen Jr. 1906-2007.(OPINION)(In memoriam)
March 5, 2007... DEERFIELD, Ill. -- As the son of the most influential drug store operator of the 20th century, Charles Rudolph Walgreen Jr. inherited the awesome mantle of responsibility passed on by Walgreen Co. founder Charles R. Walgreen. "Chuck" Walgreen...

Survey shows huge gap between dispensing costs, payments.(CHAIN PHARMACY)(Survey)
March 5, 2007... ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The results of a comprehensive nationwide survey of pharmacy dispensing costs are in, and for community pharmacy operators, they're not pretty. Retail pharmacies, researchers found, lose an average of $6 for every Medicaid...

Judge weighs in on Caremark deal.(Caremark Rx's merger with CVS Corp.)
March 5, 2007... WILMINGTON, Del. -- A Delaware judge late last month refused to cancel a shareholder vote on Caremark Rx's planned merger with CVS, but did rule that Caremark must delay the vote until at least 20 days after it properly discloses more...

AMP shift shock.(INDUSTRY WATCH)(change in average manufacturer price)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Pharmacy's alarm over changes in the Medicaid reimbursement formula appears to be gaining traction in Congress. The shift of the reimbursement formula for generic drugs from average wholesale price to 250 percent of the lowest...

Prescription for success: Marvin Richardson, Arcadia Resources.(Q & A)(dialogue with Marvin Richardson of PrairieStone Pharmacy )(Interview)
March 5, 2007... Arcadia Resources, a provider of home care services and products and an operator of in-store health clinics, last month acquired PrairieStone Pharmacy for about $24 million. Marvin Richardson, president of PrairieStone, will take on management...

Budget, Medicaid cuts rip into pharmacy's pocket.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)
March 5, 2007... ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Chain and independent pharmacy operators were still grappling with the steep cuts in Medicaid prescription reimbursements set to take effect July 1, 2007, when they were staggered yet again last month by a new round of...

Familymeds assets build Walgreens specialty Rx.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(acquisitions)
March 5, 2007... DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Walgreens announced last month that it has reached an agreement to acquire certain assets from specialty pharmacy and medical specialty product provider Familymeds Group--a strategic move for Walgreens that clearly reflects...

Wal-Mart unleashes wave of clinic openings.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)
March 5, 2007... BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Drawing on alliances with a half-dozen companies that operate walk-in patient care centers, Wal-Mart Stores is rapidly scaling up on a program to add the centers to select stores in markets across the United States. ...

New NACDS program shows smaller suppliers how to make it in mass retail.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(National Association of Chain Drug Stores)
March 5, 2007... CHICAGO -- The National Association of Chain Drug Stores will kick off a new conference here, this month, designed to boost pharmacy retailers' access to consumer-packaged-goods suppliers that are either looking to enter the drug channel for...

DrSN clinic summit lines up health care leaders.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... PHILADELPHIA -- Rosemarie Greco, director of health care reform for Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell, will deliver the keynote speech at the first-ever Retail Health Clinic Summit March 19. Produced and hosted by Drug Store News, in...

Sales veteran McWeeney dies at 69.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(death of Jim McWeeney)(Obituary)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Jim "the Chief" McWeeney, 69, passed away peacefully Saturday after a 45-day struggle with renal failure and other medical complications, Drug Store News has learned. "A 40-year veteran of the packaged goods industry,...

Pathmark opens first of 12 MiniMedCare in-store clinics.(SUPERMARKET NEWS)(Pathmark Stores Inc.)
March 5, 2007... CARTERET, N.J. -- Pathmark Stores, which operates 129 pharmacies within its 141 locations, is jumping aboard the in-store health clinic bandwagon this month by opening its first in-store health clinic through a new licensing deal with Chester,...

Giant Food guides consumers through nutrition tours.(SUPERMARKET NEWS)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... LANDOVER, Md. -- Giant Food has partnered with the Prince George's County Health Department Center for Healthy Lifestyles Initiative to launch a "Healthy Guided Supermarket Tour" in selected Giant stores. The effort is aimed at helping...

Winn-Dixie opens three new WellSpot clinics in Florida.(SUPERMARKET NEWS)(Winn-Dixie Stores Inc.)
March 5, 2007... JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Three new WellSpot clinics have opened for business in Winn-Dixie stores--two in Jacksonville and one in nearby Macclenny. WeUSpot now operates a total of 15 clinics in Winn-Dixie stores, with approximately 15 more...

Costco expects more double-digit growth, plans accelerated expansion.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Costco Wholesale Corp.)
March 5, 2007... BELLEVUE, Wash. -- Costco plans to open up to 35 new stores in fiscal 2007 as it accelerates expansion in the United States and overseas. The retailer expects another year of double-digit growth in both prescriptions and OTCs and has launched a...

Drug store retailing forever bears mark of its architect.(Charles R. Walgreen Jr.)(Viewpoint essay)
March 5, 2007... The funny thing is, Charles R. Walgreen Jr., "Chuck," to his friends and family, once told me he never wanted to be a pharmacist in the first place; he wanted to be an architect. You want to talk about a pharmacist shortage? When he was...

Medicare Part D driving up generic dispensing.(CHAIN PHARMACY)
March 5, 2007... ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Driven in large part by the Medicare Part D drug benefit program, the use of generic medications jumped from 48.4 percent to 52.6 percent of all prescriptions among patients covered by third party payers in 2006, according to...

Biogeneric bill gaining strong bi-partisan support in Congress.(Access to Life-Saving Medicine Act)
March 5, 2007... WASHINGTON -- A bill that would clear away legal and regulatory hurdles to the marketing of bio-engineered generic drugs is generating speedy and enthusiastic support from the generic drug and managed-care industries following its introduction...

Community MTM Services expands leadership.
March 5, 2007... ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Community MTM Services, the medication therapy management service provider developed by and for retail pharmacy operators, has expanded both its leadership team and its operating goals with the appointment of Donald Hackett...

Managed care still lagging in e-Rx integration, poll finds.(electronic prescribing )(Report)
March 5, 2007... SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Pharmacy benefit managers and health plans still have a long way to go to take full advantage of emerging electronic health information technologies, such as e-prescribing, a new industry poll indicates. A report on...

Technology gains foothold in pharmacy setting.(electronic medical records)
March 5, 2007... NEW YORK -- Systems that collect, transmit and store electronic medical records [EMRs] will dramatically increase in usage over the next few years as the demand for more efficient ways to transmit prescriptions, establish drug pedigrees and...

IBM, CapMed launch Rx pilot.(CapMed Systems Div.)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... NEWTOWN, Penn. -- Several dozen patients have become stewards of their own medical and prescription histories. The pilot program, called the Consumer Empowerment Use Case, provides 75 people in New York state and North Carolina with...

McKesson caps Per-Se takeover.(Robot, software technologies tranforming health care landscape)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... ATLANTA -- McKesson Corp. has begun its assimilation of Per-Se Technologies, which specializes in health care administration and finance, and is combining Per-Se's assets with its own technology capabilities to create a new compan called...

QS/1 unveils robotic dispensing.(Robot, software technologies tranforming health care landscape)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... COLUMBIA, S.C. -- QS/1 has developed an easy-to-use automated dispensing robot, the QDM, designed to integrate with the company's workflow pharmacy management software with features to boost productivity and patient safety. The new...

ABC updates AutoMed technology.(Robot, software technologies tranforming health care landscape)(AmerisourceBergen Corp.)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... VALLEY FORGE, Penn. -- AmerisourceBergen has introduced its next generation AutoMed Efficiency Pharmacy R800, a robotic prescription-dispensing device that can fill more than 200 labeled prescriptions an hour. The system replaces the...

Innovation boosts efficiency.(Robot, software technologies tranforming health care landscape)(WellDyneRx)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... JOHNSON CITY, N.Y. -- Innovation Associations announced its RDS ROBOTx central fill system has dramatically improved dispensing efficiency at WellDyneRx, a pharmacy benefit manager and mail-order firm that began deploying the system last July....

Treatment options grow with diabetes incidences.(CHAIN PHARMACY)(various pharmaceutical companies introduce products for diabetes treatment)
March 5, 2007... WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. -- Diabetes is center stage. It's the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control's 2004 data, and it's not going away. In fact, the situation is g;etting; worse....

Retailers driving diabetes education efforts.(CHAIN PHARMACY)(Diabetes Education Program launched by Kerr Drug Stores Inc.)
March 5, 2007... RALEIGH, N.C. -- Help is at hand for diabetes sufferers, not only from the major pharmaceutical companies but also at local drug stores. A number of retailers are recognizing the help patients need in dealing with this disease, and are offering...

Education, care for diabetics: Christina Ellegood, director of diabetes care, Medicine Shoppe.(Dialogue with Christina Ellegood)(Interview)
March 5, 2007... Spearheading the drive to educate consumers about diabetes and provide a higher level of care is Medicine Shoppe, which launched its diabetes specialized care centers last July, opening them in around 50 stores in three months. The retailer is...

Executives address industry issues.(ECRM Buyers' Forum)(Kinney Drugs Inc., drugstore.com Inc., Fruth Pharmacy Inc., AmerisourceBergen Inc.)(Discussion)
March 5, 2007... That next new product hit is just around the corner, and while retailers certainly are interested in pushing the next hot item through their checkouts, they'd rather not wade through the 99 product duds to find the one pearl in the bunch. ...

OTC mergers fuel advertising spending.(Supplier Spotlight)(over the counter)
March 5, 2007... The cough/cold industry, indeed, all of the over-the-counter segment, has seen many mergers and acquisitions in the past year. Adams Respiratory Therapeutics added the cough medicine Delsym to its Mucinex portfolio. GlaxoSmithKline bought up...

PSE remedy sales cool, but opportunities heat up.(Retail Spotlight)(pseudoephedrine)(drugstore.com)
March 5, 2007... Sales of pseudoephedrine-based products were already down 46.5 percent across food, drug and mass (minus Wal-Mart) in the quarter preceding this year's cough/cold season, according to ACNielsen data. While sales of that cold ingredient were...

Three trends you must know.(Category Buzz)(Boiron Homeopathic remedies, cough and and cold in kids)
March 5, 2007... 1 Homeopathic remedies on the rise. It may be that consumers are open to looking for other cold remedies now that pseudoephedrine is behind the pharmacy counter--there simply are more brands on the shelf from which to choose. Or it may be...

Allergy switches biggest story of next season.(over the counter drugs)
March 5, 2007... The most significant event that occurred during a soft 2006-07 cough and cold season was the shift of the decongestant pseudoephedrine behind the counter in all 50 states. To be sure, some states still require more strict regulations on the...

Delivery methods for kid's cold remedies get creative.
March 5, 2007... Historically, children get between six and 10 colds per season, about three times more than adults, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. In fact, it's children that drive the illness through the cough and cold...

Unusual cold/flu season slows movement of cold remedies.(Market overview)
March 5, 2007... People just aren't getting sick like they used to. Now, for two consecutive seasons, units of cough and cold remedies have not flown off the shelves as fast, or as often, as everyone had hoped for. While the category still is generating...

Avian flu fears calm, while potential remedies take wing.(Health and Human Service contracts with three pharmaceutical companies for developing influenza vaccines)
March 5, 2007... While news of the avian flu may have dropped into the background, at least three companies are working toward an H5N1 vaccine in the event that the current virulent strain of avian flu should mutate into a form easily transmittable among...

Pharmacy could be front line for relief.(in supply of drugs in case of pandemics )
March 5, 2007... In the event of a flu pandemic in the United States, pharmacy may be repeating its critical role as a physical health care point of service that was revealed in Mississippi and Louisiana during hurricanes Katrina and Wilma. "During the...

Adams respiratory.(ECRM Editors' Picks: New products ready to hit the endcap)(Adams Respiratory Therapeutics)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Delsym, the only FDA-approved over-the-counter 12-hour liquid cough suppressant, was acquired by Adams Respiratory Therapeutics. The patented single-ingredient line includes Delsym 12-Hour Cough Suppressant for adults and Delsym Children's...

Boiron.(ECRM Editors' Picks: New products ready to hit the endcap)(Editorial)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Boiron's Oscillococcinum, also known as Oscillo, is nature's No. 1 flu medicine in the United States and continues to be the top-selling product in the supplement category at natural product supermarkets. Since its introduction, Oscillo's sales...

Solstice Medical.(ECRM Editors' Picks: New products ready to hit the endcap)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Ice Taps, from Solstice Medical, is a fast-melting granule taken without water that dissolves in the throat--never reaching the stomach. The soothing menthol relieves and rejuvenates sore throats while natural herbs like enchinacea help...

GlaxoSmithKline.(ECRM Editors' Picks: New products ready to hit the endcap)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Breathe Right Snore Relief throat strips are the latest addition to GlaxoSmithKline's line of snore relief products, which include throat spray and throat rinse. Because throat muscles relax when you lie down at night, it makes it harder...

Matrixx Initiative.(ECRM Editors' Picks: New products ready to hit the endcap)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Matrixx Initiative, makers of Zicam Cold Remedy and other cough/cold products, introduces its new Zicam Multi-Symptom Cold & Flu Relief line--in daytime and nighttime formulations--for the 2007-08 cold season. Featuring an innovative...

Merix.(ECRM Editors' Picks: New products ready to hit the endcap)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Maintaining its integrity in the market, RELEEV 1-Day Cold Sore Symptom Treatment attracts the repeat customer on product effectiveness. Information Resources, Inc. data continues to report that RELEEV is an outstanding producer in the cold...

Hyland's.(ECRM Editors' Picks: New products ready to hit the endcap)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Introducing Hyland's Restful Legs, the first over-the-counter medication to calm agitated legs to help you rest. Hyland's Restful Legs contains six homeopathic ingredients to calm the creeping, crawling itch, the constant urge to move the legs,...

Novartis.(ECRM Editor''s Picks: New products ready to hit the endcap)(Theraflu Warming Relief decongestant now available)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... New Theraflu Warming Relief syrup provides fast, effective relief for multiple cold symptoms. "Theraflu Warming Relief syrup provides... powerful cold symptom relief in a soothing warming liquid, in keeping with the sensory heritage of...

ECRM retailer attendees.(ECRM Editors' Picks: New products ready to hit the endcap)
March 5, 2007... 7-Eleven Paul Takaki, Sanclra Colvin 99 cents Only Stores Susan Ford A & P Hilda Ponce AAFES Tim Calkins Amazon.com Tiffany Morley Jeff Fernandez AmerisourceBergen Corp. Kathy Passaretti Sue Mays Marybeth Scott Steve...

Surveillance Data.(service improvement )(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Surveillance Data, as of April 1, is extending its upper-respiratory illness tracking capabilities, known as the FAN report, to 52 weeks from the 29 weeks that are tracked now. More important, the company also is looking to go deeper in its...

Nature's Way Products.(REPORTERS Notebook)(Sambucol shown to shorten effects of flu)(Brief article)(Clinical report)
March 5, 2007... Nature's Way Products last month announced the results of a clinical trial that found flu patients given Sambucol, a black elderberry extract, recovered in 3.1 days compared to 7.1 days for those given placebo. The study was published in the...

Nozin.(REPORTERS Notebook)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Nozin last month announced the introduction of a new non-prescription, anti-microbial solution nasal product called Nozin Nasal Sanitizer. In clinical tests, Nozin has been found to reduce nasal germs by 90 percent over an eight-hour...

Winners emerge in pain relief.(rise in sale of COX-2 inhibitors)(Market overview)
March 5, 2007... There finally may be an answer to where all of the former arthritis users of cox-2 inhibitors have moved since Merck's Vioxx was pulled from the pharmaceutical market, prompting increased scrutiny of Pfizer's cox-2 inhibitors Celebrex and...

Nasal strips breathing easy.(WHAT'S HOT)(market size)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Despite competition from private label products, sales of CNS' Breathe Right nasal strips, now owned by GlaxoSmithKline, are continuing to dominate the category thanks to their marketing as a year-round remedy. External breathing aids grew...

Digesting an acquisition: Patrick Hennig, Boehringer Ingelheim.(Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals to acquire U.S. rights for Zantac product line)(Interview)
March 5, 2007... Following the announcement that Johnson & Johnson would acquire Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals entered into an agreement with Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer to acquire the U.S. rights to the over-the-counter...

Skin care grooms men's segment.(BEAUTY CARE)(Market overview)
March 5, 2007... While the media buzz around the "metrosexual" may not be as pronounced as it was a few years ago, the grooming habits remain and manufacturers are continuing to look for innovative ways to meet his beauty needs. According to research by...

Ethnic hair care: Brian K. Marks Dr Miracle's.(Interview)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... There is room for growth in the ethnic hair care market at mass and according to Brian K. Marks, founder and president of Dr. Miracle's, the first step is understanding that this consumer group has very specific hair care needs. Drug Store...

Men step up demand for foot care products.(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... NEW YORK -- Women aren't the only ones who love to pamper their feet--so do men, and manufacturers are responding to their needs. In fact, recent research by the International Spa Association found that 31 percent of spa-goers are men and...

Acne treatment heats up.(WHAT'S HOT)(Therative Inc., Pretika Corp. and Tyrell Inc. launch new products)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Move over acne-fighting topical treatments and make way for the latest trend at mass in blasting blemishes--heat. Therative, a developer of medical products, has launched a new FDA-cleared handheld consumer medical device called...

Gillette.(Supplier News)(marketing plans)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Gillette has announced the launch of its Gillette Champions program and named athletes Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Thierry Henry as spokesmen. The three athletes will be fully integrated into Gillette's brand programs through global...

Ascendia Brands.(Supplier News)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Ascendia Brands has completed its acquisition of the Healing Garden and Calgon brands, licenses and brand assets from Coty Inc. The move enables Coty to focus on its fragrance and cosmetics business and affords Ascendia a stronger position...

MAC.(Supplier News)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Prestige cosmetics brand MAC, which is part of The Estee Lauder Cos., and Mattel have announced the launch of the new Barbie Loves MAC cosmetics line for spring 2007. The co-branded cosmetics collection, inspired by Barbie's style and...

Suppliers find videos fair game for ads.(BEAUTY CARE)(Beiersdorf's Nivea for Men new advertising medium)
March 5, 2007... NEW YORK -- Men love their video games so what better place to oh-so-slyly promote grooming products than inside the game itself? That's the thinking of Beiersdorf's Nivea for Men, and, according to research, will likely be the thinking of many...

Old Spice offers, new Web 'Experience'.(BEAUTY CARE)(Procter & Gamble Co. )(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... CINCINNATI -- Procter & Gamble is aiming to keep men "in the know" with the launch of a new online destination just for him featuring expert advice and information on such topics as dating, sports, entertainment, cars and, of course, grooming....

Industry seeks to tie cereal to healthy trends.(CONSUMABLES)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Forget the negative spin on carbs--eating cereal can actually be good for you. Cereal manufacturers have been finding new ways to convince consumers that there's much more to cereal's nutritional profile than its carbohydrate count. ...

Coca-Cola to acquire FUZE Beverage.(CONSUMABLES)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... ATLANTA -- The Coca-Cola Co. recently signed an agreement to purchase FUZE Beverage, a maker of enhanced juices and teas. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition, which is subject to regulatory approval,...

Aquafina's Alive brings life to water.(WHAT'S HOT)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Aquafina, a major brand of bottled water, is bringing the water category to life with the launch of Aquafina Alive--a low calorie, vitamin-enhanced beverage. Available in three flavor combinations--berry pomegranate, peach mango and orange...

Flavoring water: Mike Repole, Glaceau.(Q & A)(Interview)
March 5, 2007... Drug Store News spoke with Glaceau president Mike Repole about the increasing popularity of flavored water. Here's what he said about this fastest-growing segment of the beverage category. Drug Store News: How does the segment help boost...

Techno Source introduced Rubik's Revolution, designed to be a high-tech complement to the puzzle that was originally introduced in 1980.(Supplier News)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Techno Source introduced Rubik's Revolution, designed to be a high-tech complement to the puzzle that was originally introduced in 1980. Rubik's Revolution contains at least six built-in games that feature light, sound and voice effects with...

The new Can-Do-Roo preschool game from Patch Products is a soft kangaroo with a pouch full of activities to teach children numbers, letters, colors and shapes.(Supplier News)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... The new Can-Do-Roo preschool game from Patch Products is a soft kangaroo with a pouch full of activities to teach children numbers, letters, colors and shapes. Players reach into the kangaroo's pouch and pull out one of 96 fun cards with such...

Kushyfoot foot covers and toe covers are reflexology-inspired products with a nylon microfiber and Elastine sole and a unique three-dimensional wavy pattern that massages the wearer and removes perspiration as she walks.(Supplier News)(Kushyfoot products)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Kushyfoot foot covers and toe covers are reflexology-inspired products with a nylon microfiber and Elastine sole and a unique three-dimensional wavy pattern that massages the wearer and removes perspiration as she walks. Kushyfoot products...

Latest battery innovation rounds out sales.(GENERAL MERCHANDISE)(Duracell Battries Ltd., Energizer Battery Co.)
March 5, 2007... Battery sales overall may be flat, but sales of rechargeables still are showing healthy double-digit growth. The round cell rechargeable segment has grown substantially over the past several years," said Kara Salzillo, a spokeswoman for...

Suppliers tap into ink cartridge refills.(WHAT'S HOT)(Inktec Zone.)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Re-filling inkjet printer cartridges is becoming a big business for retailers and it's generating interest among manufacturers looking to make refills faster and easier. Inktec Zone recently introduced its Ink-O-Matic Inkjet Cartridge...

Single-use cameras still click with public.
March 5, 2007... Sales of digital cameras may have peaked in 2006, but retailers can expect sales to remain strong this y ear in the single-use category. The sector continues to be driven by vacationers and people who don't own cameras, and suppliers are...

Diabetes roundtable 2007.(Drug Store News Diabetes Roundtable)(Discussion)
March 5, 2007... A note from the moderator... David J. Wendland Hamacher Resource Group What a distinct pleasure to have the opportunity to moderate the Drug Store News Diabetes Roundtable event for the third year in a row. The esteemed panelists once...

CVS/Caremark: merger deal comes to a vote.(MAKING THE SCENE)
March 19, 2007... NEW YORK -- The takeover battle of Caremark Rx continued to take new twists and turns right up through press time, and now it appears the highly anticipated moment is here as CVS shareholders and Caremark shareholders are expected to vote on...

Longs leaving three Western states.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)
March 19, 2007... WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- Longs Drug plans to close 31 stores and exit three Western states this spring as part of a larger plan to focus on core markets and smaller stores. The 509-store chain announced the closures on Feb. 28 during its...

Bob Long to retire from namesake chain.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Brief article)
March 19, 2007... WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- Bob Long, the last link to the family that founded the Longs Drug Store chain in 1938, will retire in May when he steps down from Longs' board of directors. Long, 68, has been with the company for 39 years and rose from...

Pending deal overshadows Sav-on/Osco.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)
March 19, 2007... WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- Ever since CVS rocked the industry in November with its announcement that it had reached a merger agreement with Caremark Rx, all eyes have been on the tumultuous deal to see who will take over the pharmacy benefit...

Rite Aid receives $1.5m Pa. grant.(INDUSTRY WATCH)(Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development )(Brief article)
March 19, 2007... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- Rite Aid announced Wednesday that the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development has awarded $1.5 million to the company to help fund at least 350 new jobs, expansion of headquarters facilities in Cumberland...

QuickCare clinics to open in Wisc.(INDUSTRY WATCH)(Aurora Health Care)(Brief article)
March 19, 2007... MILWAUKEE -- Aurora Health Care will open three QuickCare clinics within Wal-Mart supercenters in southeastern Wisconsin, bringing its total count to 22 clinics in the area. The De Pere, Wis., clinic will open on March 8, while the Green...

Duane Reade debuts diabetes clinic.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)
March 19, 2007... NEW YORK -- Late last month, Manhattan-based Duane Reade officially opened its Diabetes Resource Center, a training and educational facility for patients with diabetes. The flagship center, located at the Duane Reade store at 1889 Broadway...

CVS eyes bolstered front end, Rx with promotions.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Helena Foulkes, Scott Baker, Larry Merlo and Chris Bodine)
March 19, 2007... WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- Pharmacy retailer CVS is bolstering the support of its retail front end and pharmacy operations with a string of executive promotions, including the appointment of Helena Foulkes as senior vice president of marketing and...

Pharmacy gets congressional support on Medicaid issue.(NEWS & ANALYSISddrug stires)
March 19, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Relief may be in sight. Long accustomed to getting the short shrift from Congress and the White House in their battle to shore up declining prescription profit margins, retail pharmacy leaders last month picked up support from...

MinuteClinic steps up to curb flu crisis in Twin Cities.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)
March 19, 2007... MINNEAPOLIS -- Those in Minnesota received a frightening wakeup call earlier this year when they endured an unnerving string of flu-related deaths, including a Minneapolis firefighter. Fearing the worst, many residents heeded the advice of the...

Speeding biogenerics to market is focus of GPhA industry event.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Generic Pharmaceutical Association)
March 19, 2007... PHOENIX -- Clearing a regulatory pathway for the approval and marketing of generic versions of bio-engineered drugs quickly emerged as the primary focus of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association's 2007 Annual Meeting here, with industry leaders...