Drug Store News articles from October 2003

Drug Store News archives from October 2003

Pressure building for Medicare bill.(News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... WASHINGTON -- Republican leaders in the U.S. House and Senate reportedly have set a target date of Oct. 17 to hammer out an agreement for compromise legislation that would create a prescription drug benefit for the 40 million seniors on...

FDA recommends Namenda approval.(News)(Food and Drug Administration)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... RICHMOND, Calif. -- A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee has recommended unanimously the approval of Namenda in treating moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease. The drug currently is marketed in Europe by Lundbeck AIS under the...

Rx initiatives, front-end flair step up CVS momentum.(Overview/Financial)(Consumer Value Store)
October 6, 2003... A lot has changed for the company that began with a single Consumer Value Store in downtown Lowell, Mass., May 9, 1963. An awful lot--that store didn't even have a pharmacy counter. What began for the Goldstein brothers, Stanley and Sidney,...

Rite Aid's better 2Q backs fall programs.(News)
October 6, 2003... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- Rite Aid continue its improved performance for the second quarter ended Aug. 30. But because Rite Aid is a chain that looks more forward backward, the news to come out of t chain's second-quarter earnings conference call...

Snyder's goes Chapter 11, but owner eyes U.S. growth.(News)
October 6, 2003... MINNETONKA, Minn. -- Swallowing a bitter, but needed prescription for future success, Snyder's Drug Stores filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Sept. 12 and announced it would sell or close its 77 Drug Emporium discount drug stores, plus...

IRS makes OTCs reimbursable under flexible spending accounts.(News)(United States. Internal Revenue Service)(over-the-counter medicines)
October 6, 2003... WASHINGTON -- The Internal Revenue Service took a first step in recognizing the value of over-the-counter medicines in alleviating health care costs last month, making OTCs reimbursable through health care flexible spending accounts. But...

Jean Coutu plans to increase U.S. stores through acquisition.(News)
October 6, 2003... LONGUEUIL, Quebec -- The Jean Coutu Group is looking to grow its U.S. pharmacy chain in the next 12 months beyond the New England border through acquisition, president and chief executive officer Francois Coutu told shareholders during the...

Holiday sales forecast is promising, but retailers remain cautious.(News)
October 6, 2003... NEW YORK -- Economists collectively paint a rosier view of holiday sales this year, but retailers are holding on to cautious optimism. "After several strong months of retail sales growth, it seems clear that the economy is picking up momentum...

Regionals remain open during hurricane.(Regional Report)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... NEW YORK -- Despite Hurricane Isabel's fury as it tore through the mid-Atlantic United States late last month, toppling trees and knocking out power to millions of homes and businesses, several regional drug chains in the area reported that...

Customers rank Medicine Shoppe No. 1.(Regional Report)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... NEW HOPE, Pa. -- Research firm Wilson Health Information has rated Medicine Shoppe highest in customer satisfaction among regional chains for the third straight year. "Medicine Shoppe's customers were most likely to have reported that they...

Kinney continues 100th-year celebration.(Regional Report)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... GOUVERNEUR, N.Y. -- Kinney Drugs is winding down its 100th anniversary year with a number of events, including its fall conference and its participation in the New York State Fair. The chain, which sponsored the Kinney Hall of Health at the...

Elephant's concepts cater to clientele.(News)
October 6, 2003... BERKELEY, Calif. -- Elephant Pharmacy, which opened here almost one year ago, is slowly filling into its big-box 13,000-square-foot frame, as evidenced by a steady increase in both foot traffic and prescription base. And the chain has...

Eckerd donates $1.1M to Fla. campus.(News)
October 6, 2003... SEMINOLE, Fla. -- The future availability of pharmacists in Florida took a major step forward last month thanks to a $1.125 million donation the Eckerd Corp. made to the University of Florida. Eckerd's contribution will fund construction of...

Albertsons expands online grocery.(Supermarket Aisle)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... BOISE, Idaho -- Albertsons has expanded its online grocery service to Boise-area residents, bringing to eight the number of major metro areas it serves in the Western states. Albertsons uses its existing bricks-and-mortar store...

Dynergy, blackout hurt Kroger's 2Q.(Supermarket Aisle)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... CINCINNATI -- The Kroger Co., which operates 2,519 supermarkets and multi-departments under two dozen banners, announced last month that second quarter earnings were affected by a settlement with Dynergy and the recent blackout. Kroger's...

Ahold chief executive takes pay cut.(Supermarket Aisle)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... ZAANDAM, Netherlands -- Reacting to shareholder criticism over his remuneration package, Royal Ahold chief executive officer Anders Moberg announced last month that his severance pay and bonuses will be linked to his job performance. ...

Beauty show to link industry, consumers.(Pathways to Beauty and Well-being [SM])
October 6, 2003... NEW YORK -- Women have unlimited choices when it comes to beauty products. Unfortunately, that vast selection, which grows daily with a steady stream of new launches, can leave women confused about which creams, powders and gels will help them...

Will stronger Pepcid keep pace with Prilosec?(News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... FORT WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Johnson & Johnson-Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals Co.'s Maximum Strength Pepcid AC (famotidine 20 rag) was approved Sept. 23 for sale over-the-counter. The new formulation is double the strength of the Pepcid AC that...

Pfizer consumer calls switch in sales lineup.(News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... NEW YORK -- Pfizer Consumer Healthcare called a change in its lineup last month, naming Frank Malone to the position of vice president of the company's U.S. sales operation. In his new role, Maione, a 27-year veteran of the consumer health...

Alliance ups CDM numbers.(Pharmacy Watch)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The National Institute for Standards in Pharmacist Credentialing has pushed the number of pharmacists it has certified in disease management to record levels following a successful alliance with AmerisourceBergen, one of the...

CARE Pharmacies expand.(Pharmacy Watch)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... ARLINGTON, Va. -- CARE Pharmacies, the independent pharmacy franchiser, continues to add strength in the nation's capital as it pursues a modest, but determined growth strategy in Virginia and Maryland. The franchise operator has opened...

CMS to ease HIPAA deadline.(Pharmacy Watch)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... WASHINGTON -- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have agreed to loosen the deadline for strict adherence to new privacy standards mandated in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The move eases fears among some...

AmerisourceBergen denies charge of rebate wrongdoing.(Pharmacy News)
October 6, 2003... CHESTERBROOK, Pa. -- Responding quickly to press reports that surfaced In The Wall Street Journal and elsewhere last month, officials at AmerisourceBergen strongly denied allegations that ABC had engaged in any scheme to collect multiple...

Mass. suit targets generic firms.(Pharmacy News)
October 6, 2003... BOSTON -- The Massachusetts attorney general late last month filed a lawsuit against 13 leading generic prescription drug companies, alleging that they separately participated in pricing and marketing schemes that caused the state to overpay...

New York--Industry veteran James Johnston died Aug. 11 at the age of 60.(People In The News)(Obituary)
October 6, 2003... NEW YORK -- Industry veteran James Johnston died Aug. 11 at the age of 60. He was being treated for a recurrence of bladder cancer, which he first was diagnosed with in 1997. Johnston began his career with Peoples Drug Stores in store...

Healthcare Distribution Management Association.(People In The News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... RESTON, Va. -- Ron Streck, president and chief executive officer of the Healthcare Distribution Management Association, plans to retire at the end of December after 26 years of service. "As HDMA proceeds with strategic planning this year, I...

Colorado Springs, Colo.--Jim Larsen, the only member to serve as both chairman of the General Merchandise Distributors Council board of directors and chairman of the association's HBC Advisory Board.(People In The News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Jim Larsen, the only member to serve as both chairman of the General Merchandise Distributors Council board of directors and chairman of the association's HBC Advisory Board, received this year's lifetime achievement...

Revlon.(People In The News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... NEW YORK -- Following a brief transition period, Debra Leipman-Yale will step down as chief marketing officer for Revlon, a newly created position she assumed in May. Stephanie Klein-Peponis, who joined Revlon in June as executive vice...

Rite Aid trade show.(Making the Scene)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... At Rite Aid's annual trade show Sept. 7 to 10, Rite Aid chief executive Mary Sammons (right) visits with store managers Michele Haas and Mario Castagna, both of New Jersey. Jay Forbes of Drug Store News, Bryan Shirtliff of Rite Aid and...

Eckerd Senior Expo.(Making the Scene)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Eckerd held on Aug. 13 and 14 a Senior Expo at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y. The two-day event included free and low-cost health screenings, such as mammograms, cholesterol and blood pressure; free consultations with...

Glamour's 2003 top 10 college women.(Making the Scene)(L'Oreal S.A.)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... At the L'Oreal and Glamour magazine event last month honoring the top 10 college women are Carol Hamilton of L'Oreal, winner Christina Chen and Suzanne Grimes of Glamour. The magazine and L'Oreal donate $2,500 to the winner's charity of choice....

Issues at store level doom troubled acquisition.(Opinion)(Drug Emporium Inc.)(Snyder's Drug Stores Inc.)
October 6, 2003... The Chapter 11 filing of Snyder's Drug Emporium, while not a major surprise, is however, another reminder of the tenets of modern retailing. This failure also is another example not only of the challenges posed by an acquisition, but the...

What is the cost of administration really worth?(Opinion)
October 6, 2003... At some point someone really has to start asking what it's all worth--this whole business of providing drug coverage to Americans. In particular, people should start asking what exactly administering the benefit is worth. Some weeks ago, I...

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Health authorities are urging, Americans to get flu shots this year in an effort to help physicians eliminate influenza as a possibility when trying to diagnose SARS, the deadly respiratory illness that rapidly spread through Canada and China...

GlaxoSmithKline/Bayer.(Supplier News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... With scant more than a month on the market, GlaxoSmithKline/Bayer's Levitra has captured half of Viagra's market share in new prescriptions, according to published reports that cited data from ImpactRx, a pharmaceutical promotion research...

Bristol Myers Squibb's Serzone (nefazodone hydrochloride).(Generic News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Bristol Myers Squibb's Serzone (nefazodone hydrochloride) was opened to generic competition last month, with generic companies Mylan Laboratories, Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Watson Pharmaceuticals all receiving...

Ranbaxy.(Generic News)(Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Ranbaxy received FDA approval on two branded generics last month. Riomet (metformin hydrochloride) is an oral solution 100 mg/mL that can be prescribed as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in patients with type 2...

Eckerd pharmacy, care program begins to yield viable results.(Chain Pharmacy)
October 6, 2003... CLEARWATER, Fla. -- With prescription profit margins in a permanent squeeze and with mail order pharmacy rapidly gaining ground, building a patient care practice that can work both as a viable community health resource and as a profitable...

Battle over Canadian imports continues.(Chain Pharmacy)
October 6, 2003... WASHINGTON -- Even as the Food and Drug Administration and the Justice Department moved last month to stem the flow of illegally imported medicines, two states started the process of drafting legislation that, if passed, would place additional...

Search persists for compromise on senior drug benefit bill.(Chain Pharmacy)
October 6, 2003... WASHINGTON -- Moves by House and Senate negotiators to craft a compromise Medicare drug benefit bill appear to have foundered over such issues as cost and seniors' eligibility, but lawmakers and pharmacy advocates continue to work furiously to...

APhA, government officials spotlight pharmacists' role.(Chain Pharmacy)(American Pharmacists Association)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... WASHINGTON -- Highlighting the role of pharmacists in improving health, American Pharmacists Association representative Magaly Rodriguez de Bittner, who has a doctorate in pharmacy, joined federal officials last month to kick off a series of...

Confusion, shame keep many seniors from Rx discounts already being offered.(Chain Pharmacy)
October 6, 2003... PHILADELPHIA -- Lack of understanding about prescription drug discounts that already may be available to them, as well as embarrassment about their own inability to pay for drugs, may be keeping millions of low-income seniors from getting some...

More pharmacists getting paid for patient care, NISPC reports.(Chain Pharmacy)
October 6, 2003... ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- More than half of all pharmacists certified to provide disease management services for their patients now are being compensated for their efforts, a new survey has found. According to the study, which the National...

RadioShack.(Retailer News)(Vanessa Williams)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... RadioShack announced Sept. 17 the launch of Life-Wise, an exclusive line of products designed to promote healthy living, specifically in areas of personal health care and fitness, relaxation and home comfort. Actress and singer Vanessa Williams...

OleoMed.(Supplier News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Miami-based OleoMed is in the process of launching nationwide its 16 nutritional supplements, all of which are based on pharmaceutical-grade olive oil. Olive oil contains a high concentration of oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid that...

Biolife.(Supplier News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Biolife's new UrgentQR product, a topical powder coagulant, will be incorporated with First Aid Only's first aid kits starting in first quarter 2004. When applied to a small open wound, UrgentQR quickly forms a scab, protecting the wound...

Vetco.(Supplier News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Vetco currently is rolling out Little Colds Sore Throat Strips. Vetco is the second company to use oral strips as a drug delivery device. Last month, Zengen and Prestige Brands launched Chloraseptic Relief Strips to fight sore throat pain with...

Health Alliance Medical Plans.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Health Alliance Medical Plans last month announced its coverage of two over-the-counter drugs formerly available by prescription only: Wyeth's Alavert and Procter & Gamble's Prilosec OTC. Health Alliance will require members who have...

Drug poised as parents' partner to combat rise in childhood obesity.(OTC/Natural Health)
October 6, 2003... As Americans become more accustomed to watching the world happen from the comfort of their couches, children are more likely to play dodgeball on their Gameboys than on the playground. They also are more likely to consider a pizza with all the...

Heart monitor sales upbeat.(What's Hot)(from Omron Healthcare Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in May updated the guidelines governing healthy high blood pressure levels, identifying 45 million Americans who nave a heightened risk for developing heart disease and stroke. The new risk group,...

CVS.(Retailer News)(from Schick Quattro)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... In anticipation of the September launch of the Schick Quattro, CVS pre-sold the four-blade razor on its Web site last month, offering shoppers savings and free shipping. Schick Quattro is launching its own Web site, www.Schick-Quattro.com. that...

Den-Mat.(Supplier News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Den-Mat's Rembrandt brand aims to speed up at-home whitening from two weeks to two hours with the introduction of Rembrandt 2-Hour White Kit. The process relies on a mouthguard and can be completed in two straight hours or six 20-minute...

Rounding out its oral care regimen, Procter & Gamble announced plans to acquire the Glide floss business from W.L. Gore & Associates for an undisclosed sum.(Supplier News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Rounding out its oral care regimen, Procter & Gamble announced plans to acquire the Glide floss business from W.L. Gore & Associates for an undisclosed sum. W.L. Gore, the maker of Gore-Tex fabrics, will continue to develop and manufacture the...

Scunci.(Supplier News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Scunci, owned by hair accessories maker L&N Sales and Marketing, is gearing up for the holidays with the Scunci ustyle Kit, which includes an instructional video tape, hair brushes, a comb and special styling tools, including a Topsy Tail and a...

Coty Beauty U.S.(Supplier News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Adidas Adrenaline, a sporty fragrance for men by Coty Beauty U.S., is using graffiti to get its brand message across to the Philadelphia market. Coty commissioned well-known graffiti artist Daniel (Pose II) Hopkins to create a mural saluting...

Euro, mass brands battle in skin care as consumers eye quality, not price.(Beauty Care)
October 6, 2003... Drug chains unabashedly have embraced the idea of masstige, as evidenced by the recent influx of European beauty brands into their stores. Last fall, French skin care brands Vichy and Avene made their U.S. debuts in select Brooks Pharmacy...

It's in the (big) bag.(What's Hot)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Sales of cosmetics may be lagging, but in an odd twist, sales of the containers and bags that store cosmetics are growing at a fast clip. In fact, the cosmetics storage category, bolstered in part by private label brands, ramped up 34 percent...

Campbell Soup.(Suppliers News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Campbell Soup last month announced that its condensed vegetarian vegetable soup has been certified as kosher by the Orthodox Union, making it the first Campbell's soup to receive such certification. Campbell worked with the OU to kosherize its...

Pillsbury.(Suppliers News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Pillsbury last month expanded its Home Baked classics line of freezer-to-oven goods with the launch of new soft white dinner rolls, crusty sourdough dinner rolls and extra large easy split biscuits. Both the soft white dinner rolls and the...

Betty Croker.(Suppliers News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Betty Crocker has introduced Complete Desserts mixes, featuring such classic recipes as Southern-style peach cobbler, classic cherry cobbler and old-fashioned apple crisp. Each includes a fruit and dessert topping mix. Complete Desserts take...

Kimberley-Clark.(Suppliers News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Kimberly-Clark has introduced a string of improvements to its feature products. Huggies supreme diapers now feature an extra leak barrier for added protection. The new Triple Leak Barriers hit stores last month in bold new packaging that...

CCDA Waters.(Suppliers News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Last month, CCDA Waters voluntarily recalled several brands of its bottled water with push-pull sports cap-style spouts. When pulled to open, the caps on these bottles could come off, posing a choking hazard for children. The affected...

Reinventing traditional brands puts chocolate back on top in candy.(Consumables)
October 6, 2003... Single-serve candy, and the chocolate bar in particular, has become a huge mover at the front end of drug stores, driven largely by the innovation of candy makers this past year to explore new versions of old favorites. The limited edition...

Putting beverages on a diet.(What's Hot)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Childhood and adult obesity has been blamed on food providers, and food producers are responding with new products and reinventions of old favorites that retool caloric composition. According to published reports, Pepsi-Co has vowed that...

Topps.(Suppliers News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Topps has relaunched Garbage Pail Kids, its '80s trading card brand featuring gross characters. The series includes artwork intended for a 16th series from the '80s that wasn't published, along with updated cards that reflect current popular...

Melitta.(Suppliers News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Melitta this fall is launching the One:One coffee maker with a pod filter system that brews coffee one cup at a time. It was designed as an alternative for people who don't drink a full pot of coffee before it gets cold. The user drops a...

Chronicle books.(Suppliers News)(Chronicle Publishing Co. Chronicle Books)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Chronicle Books has introduced The Healing Deck, a 36-card deck that serves as a daily meditation tool. Each card features an uplifting affirmation for mental, physical and spiritual wellness on one side and inspiring artwork on the other. Amy...

Smart Living Products.(Suppliers News)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... Smart Living Products is offering the Mr. Misty Humidifier, a non-electric humidifier that aims to avoid the fire risks and mess associated with traditional electric-powered models, which can overheat. Mr. Misty attaches to any standard shower...

Make baby laugh!(Suppliers News)(Giggle Together!)(Video Recording Review)
October 6, 2003... Make Baby Laugh! last month launched "Giggle Together!," the first in a live-action series of videos designed to enhance parent-child bonding using laughter. The 30-minute video features parents using various techniques and activities to get...

Early promotions, high-ticket items boost back-to-school sales in drug.(General Merchandise)
October 6, 2003... Back-to-school was a bright spot in the retail landscape for drug retailers this fall. Industry-wide, the back-to-school category was expected to grow 3 percent to 4 percent in 2003, according to School, Home and Office Products Association...

Electronic book-learnin'.(What's Hot)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2003... It is perhaps the best indication that for all the money that toy makers spend marketing their wares to kids, it's parents who buy toys. With annual sales of about $225 million and growing at a rate of some 22 percent, according to published...

Destination beauty: a cosmetic shift.(Beauty Care)
October 6, 2003... CVS is using its looks unabashedly to entice women into its beauty department. In the last few years, the chain drug retailer has put itself through bouts of corrective surgery, if you will, to create its current attractive, well-organized...

Road to success starts at the back bench.(Pharmacy/OTC)(CVS Pharmacy Inc.)
October 6, 2003... As CVS chairman, president and chief executive officer Tom Ryan has noted frequently, pharmacy is what defines CVS. "It is who we are," he has said on several occasions. So it is not surprising that as the company has embarked on its quest to...

Merchandising mimics customer needs.(Consumables)
October 6, 2003... It is best not to look at CVS as one 4,100-store-plus chain, company chairman, president and chief executive officer Tom Ryan has said on more than one occasion. Clearly, this is the principle by which the chain's consumables merchants, led by...

Bold promotions define GM marketing.(General Merchandise)
October 6, 2003... Walking along "The Strip" in Las Vegas, there is no mistaking whether the store at 3758 Las Vegas Blvd., is in the photo business. The 16-foot-tall, gleaming yellow rolls of Kodak film on the top of the building is a pretty strong indication to...

Medicare Rx benefit talks inch forward.(News)(Brief Article)
October 20, 2003... WASHINGTON -- House and Senate negotiators are mulling proposals to improve prospects for passage of a Medicare drug bill this year by boosting premiums for higher-income seniors and extending coverage to those on Medicaid. But lawmakers in...

MPA combats union mail order contract.(News)(Brief Article)
October 20, 2003... LANSING, Mich. -- The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America by the end of the month could negotiate a new health care deal with Detroit automakers that would mandate the use of mail...

Weathering a tough economy, Walgreens maintains its streak.(News)
October 20, 2003... DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Reflecting its core strengths and massive economies of scale in the face of economic adversity, industry leader Walgreen Co. maintained its uninterrupted 29-year sales and earnings growth streak for the fourth quarter and...

ShopKo reveals site for Express Rx stores.(News)
October 20, 2003... GREEN BAY, Wis. -- ShopKo Stores announced the first location of its upcoming stand-alone drug store format: ShopKo Express Rx will debut next fall close to the company's Green Bay, Wis., headquarters in nearby Ledgeview. The...

Wal-Mart still bullish on supercenter growth.(News)
October 20, 2003... BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Five years after Wal-Mart rattled the chain drug industry by opening its first Neighborhood Market store, the food and drug combination format remains one that will again see modest expansion next year. Wal-Mart is on...

Caution greets Walgreens' record sales.(News)
October 20, 2003... Despite Walgreen Co.'s latest report of record sales and earnings, some analysts are raising cautionary flags over the issue of future prospects for drug store retailing and for its top player. Reacting to Walgreens' fourth-quarter results,...

Sluggish regional economy pummels Duane Reade sales.(News)
October 20, 2003... NEW YORK -- One month after Duane Reade chairman and chief executive officer Ton,y, Cuti told the financial community, ' The plague is over," at the Goldman Sachs fall retail conference, Duane Reade Oct. 6 slashed its sales and earnings...

Fall seasonals drive solid September sales.(drugstores)
October 20, 2003... NEW YORK -- September proved to be a solid month for Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid, as fall and early Halloween decor fueled front-end sales. Merrill Lynch analyst Mark Husson described Walgreens September sales numbers as reminiscent of the...

Indies file suit against PBMs.(pharmacy benefit managers )(Brief Article)
October 20, 2003... BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Two independent pharmacies filed early this month a lawsuit on behalf of the nation's 25,000 independent pharmacies against the four largest pharmacy benefit managers for allegedly using "anticompetitive practices" against...