Drug Store News articles from October 2006

Drug Store News archives from October 2006

CVS participates in Bush's Medicare powwow, unveils Part D initiative.(prescription drug coverage)
October 25, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Fresh off a morning Medicare roundtable discussion at the Department of Health and Human Services, CVS chairman, president and CEO Tom Ryan escorted President George W. Bush and HHS secretary Mike Leavitt Friday to a nearby...

Wal-Mart roils pharmacy industry with expansion of $4 generic drug program.(discounted generic program)
October 25, 2006... BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Touching off a reactionary defensive scramble among many of its biggest competitors, Wal-Mart took a major step forward in its much-publicized $4 generic prescription program last week, expanding the discount offer far...

Top in-store clinic operators partner for protocol standards.(implementing medical record-sharing procedures with physicians )(Brief article)
October 25, 2006... PHILADELPHIA -- Twelve of the nation's largest in-store clinics teamed together on Tuesday to form the Convenient Care Association with a mission to set protocol standards for retail-based clinics. The association will represent small...

WMT previews fiscal 2008.(financial analysts and institutional investors)(Brief article)
October 25, 2006... TEANECK, N.J. -- Wal-Mart will open between 625 and 660 stores next year as it expands selling space by roughly 7.5 percent, the company announced Monday during its two-day meeting with financial analysts and institutional investors to...

FDA to change review process.(federal AIDS relief program in Africa)(Brief article)
October 25, 2006... NORTH BETHESDA, Md. -- The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday stated it is making changes to the order in which new drugs are reviewed, creating exceptions to the "first in, first reviewed" rule, a policy that has been unchanged for...

FTC asks for more Rite Aid info.(Mergers and acquisitions)(Federal Trade Commission)(Brief article)
October 25, 2006... CAMP HILL, Pa., and LONGUEUIL, Quebec -- The Federal Trade Commission has requested additional information on Rite Aid's pending acquisition of the 1,858 Brooks-Eckerd stores from The Jean Coutu Group. The companies stated that the...

Longs Drug Stores.(NEWSBITES)
October 25, 2006... WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- Longs Drug Stores on Monday named Brian McAndrews VP of real estate, succeeding Timothy Hansen. Previously, McAndrews was director of real estate for CVS, a company he joined in 1998.

General Merchandise Distributors Council.(NEWSBITES)
October 25, 2006... COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The General Merchandise Distributors Council on Friday named Keith Wypyszynski VP of business development and chief member officer. He has spent 25 years with Wyeth Consumer Healthcare, most recently as senior VP of...

Columbus, Ohio--Language Access Network on Monday partnered with Kroger to provide real-time video interpretation services in four Kroger pharmacies in Ohio and Michigan.(NEWSBITES)
October 25, 2006... COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Language Access Network on Monday partnered with Kroger to provide real-time video interpretation services in four Kroger pharmacies in Ohio and Michigan. The services are available seven days a week in more than 150...

Consumer Healthcare Products Association.(NEWSBITES)
October 25, 2006... WASHINGTON -- The Consumer Healthcare Products Association on Tuesday named Andrew Fish senior VP of legal and government affairs and general counsel. Fish previously was senior director of federal government relations at the American Cancer...

New York--The National Pharmacy Technician Association on Tuesday celebrated National Pharmacy Technician Day.(NEWSBITES)
October 25, 2006... NEW YORK -- The National Pharmacy Technician Association on Tuesday celebrated National Pharmacy Technician Day to honor and express gratitude to the approximately 252,913 certified pharmacy techs.

Deerfield, Ill.--Walgreens on Thursday promoted Laura Merten, currently director of Walgreens Health Services legal department and Walgreen Co. privacy officer, to a divisional VP for Walgreen Co.(NEWSBITES)
October 18, 2006... DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Walgreens on Thursday promoted Laura Merten, currently director of Walgreens Health Services legal department and Walgreen Co. privacy officer, to a divisional VP for Walgreen Co. In addition, Susan Thoss has been promoted...

Houston--RediClinic on Thursday stated it will open nine in-store clinics in Wal-Mart supercenters in Richmond, Va., in early 2007.(NEWSBITES)
October 18, 2006... HOUSTON -- RediClinic on Thursday stated it will open nine in-store clinics in Wal-Mart supercenters in Richmond, Va., in early 2007. RediClinic currently has clinics inside Wal-Mart supercenters in Owasso and Broken Arrow, Okla., and in...

Bentonville, Ark.--Wal-Mart and Premier Retail Networks last week unveiled the retailer's revamped in-store media network.(NEWSBITES)
October 18, 2006... BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart and Premier Retail Networks last week unveiled the retailer's revamped in-store media network that will consist of flat panel screens that will deliver product messaging tailored to departments and customer...

Experts: Medicare is 'completely unsustainable'.
October 18, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Despite the largely successful rollout of Medicare Part D drug benefits, Medicare itself is certain to undergo a substantial transformation in coming years, several experts on Medicare predicted Monday. Behind the changes:...

Senators to revisit importation legislation when session resumes next month.(Brief article)
October 18, 2006... WASHINGTON -- A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing for the Senate to vote on a drug importation bill that would establish a federal importation protocol. The Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act (S. 334) has 34...

Costco to match Wal-Mart's $4 generic drug prices in Fla.
October 18, 2006... ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- Costco pharmacies are matching Wal-Mart's $4 price point on some generic drugs at its stores in Florida, according to a company executive. During a conference call with analysts on Thursday, Costco CFO Richard Galanti...

Humana signs MinuteClinic.(MinuteClinic)(Brief article)
October 18, 2006... MINNEAPOLIS -- MinuteClinic, which has 100 health care centers in retail and office locations in 14 states, announced Monday that it has become a participating provider with Humana Inc. MinuteClinic is a subsidiary of CVS Corp. Humana...

Crawford pleads guilty.
October 18, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Former FDA commissioner Lester Crawford pleaded guilty Tuesday afternoon to conflict of interest and falsely reporting information about stocks he owned in companies he regulated, according to published reports. Both...

Boehringer to buy OTC Zantac.
October 18, 2006... RIDGEFIELD, Conn. -- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals late Thursday announced that it has entered into an agreement with Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer to acquire the U.S. rights to the over-the-counter Zantac product line for $509.5...

Groups unveil Part D campaign.(Brief article)
October 18, 2006... WASHINGTON -- The National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association on Thursday allied with America's Health Insurance Plans, the trade group representing health insurers, to launch a national...

Boulder, Colo.--Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy announced Monday that it has raised $18 million of additional convertible preferred stock that it will use to accelerate its new-store expansion plans from its existing 12 locations, as well as further augment the company's management team and operational infrastructure.(FINANCIALS)(Brief article)
October 18, 2006... BOULDER, Colo. -- Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy announced Monday that it has raised $18 million of additional convertible preferred stock that it will use to accelerate its new-store expansion plans from its existing 12 locations, as well as...

New York--Delhaize and Ahold have ended merger talks due to personal friction between the negotiators and media speculation that seems to have complicated the companies' positions, according to published sources, which based their reports on an original story published on Oct. 14 in the Belgian daily De Tijd.(FINANCIALS)(Brief article)
October 18, 2006... NEW YORK -- Delhaize and Ahold have ended merger talks due to personal friction between the negotiators and media speculation that seems to have complicated the companies' positions, according to published sources, which based their reports...

Philadelphia--a Pennsylvania jury on Friday found that Wal-Mart must pay $78.47 million in damages to current and former Pennsylvania employees for unpaid rest breaks and hours worked beyond their regular shifts.(FINANCIALS)
October 18, 2006... PHILADELPHIA -- A Pennsylvania jury on Friday found that Wal-Mart must pay $78.47 million in damages to current and former Pennsylvania employees for unpaid rest breaks and hours worked beyond their regular shifts. Wal-Mart stated it...

New York--my Healthy Access will open its first in-store clinic on Oct. 18.(NEWSBITES)(QuickCare clinics in Wisconsin)(Brief article)
October 11, 2006... NEW YORK -- My Healthy Access will open its first in-store clinic on Oct. 18. The clinic, the first of several planned for the fall, will open in a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Pasadena, Texas. Wal-Mart also is adding four more Aurora QuickCare...

Indianapolis--WellPoint has partnered with CVS to help educate seniors about Medicare Part D options during the upcoming Medicare Part D open enrollment period.(Alliances and partnerships)(Brief article)
October 11, 2006... INDIANAPOLIS -- WellPoint has partnered with CVS to help educate seniors about Medicare Part D options during the upcoming Medicare Part D open enrollment period. The alliance will provide seniors with resources, including educational...

Washington--the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Generic Drugs has adopted new technology so that it can review and archive Abbreviated New Drug Applications and speed up its generic review process.(NEWSBITES)(New Drug Applications)(Brief article)
October 11, 2006... WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration's Office of Generic Drugs has adopted new technology so that it can review and archive Abbreviated New Drug Applications and speed up its generic review process. The OGD recently began using the...

Pharmacy group decries Wal-Mart's generic program.(generic prescription drug program )(Brief article)
October 11, 2006... ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Wal-Mart's move to extend its hightly touted $4 generic prescription drug program to all of Florida on a rapidly accelerated timetable was met with a stony reaction on Friday from the group representing the nation's...

Court: FirstDataBank must lower posted drug AWP prices.(drug price analysis)(Brief article)
October 11, 2006... NEW YORK -- According to published reports, a settlement has been reached in a Boston court, whereby, FirstDataBank, which publishes wholesale drug price information, has agreed to reduce the posted prices for many of the drugs on its list by...

CVS raises EPS guidance in rare monthly earnings call.
October 11, 2006... WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- In a rare conference call with analysts to discuss monthly sales, CVS chairman, president and CEO Tom Ryan announced that, driven by strong September comps, the company had raised its earnings guidance for the third...

St. John's, Rite Aid open community pharmacy laboratory.(art facility designed to emulate the structure of a traditional working pharmacy)(Brief article)
October 11, 2006... NEW YORK -- St. John's University School of Pharmacy last week announced the opening of the Rite Aid community pharmacy laboratory on the university's Queens, N.Y., campus. The Rite Aid Community Pharmacy Laboratory, funded with monies...

Clinics, physicians partner.(MinuteClinic and the American Academy of Family Physicians contracts)(Brief article)
October 11, 2006... MINNEAPOLIS -- MinuteClinic is looking to close the gap between physicians and clinic operators, announcing a partnership Monday that substantiates the in-store clinic health care offering. MinuteClinic and the American Academy of Family...

Walgreens adds jewelry, DVDs.(Pure Allure Crystal Collection)(Brief article)
October 11, 2006... DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Walgreens on Thursday said it will roll out an exclusive jewelry line made with Swarovski crystals to all stores this month. The "Pure Allure Crystal Collection" debuts with 36 core classic styles, priced between $5.99...

RxAmerica expands Rx plans.(expand its prescription drug plans)(Brief article)
October 11, 2006... SALT LAKE CITY -- RxAmerica LLC, PBM and a wholly owned subsidiary of Longs Drugs, announced Tuesday that it has contracted with the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to expand its prescription drug plans for Medicare...

ABS boosts Supervalu 2Q.
October 11, 2006... EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Strong sales at its Albertson's stores helped boost second-quarter earnings for Supervalu. The 2,504-store retailer reported earnings of $132 million for its quarter ended Sept. 9 compared with $34 million during...

New York--several leading drug chains reported September sales over the past week.(FINANCIALS)
October 11, 2006... NEW YORK -- Several leading drug chains reported September sales over the past week, including: CVS Corp. reported total revenues for September were up 24.3 percent to $4.4 billion, including the impact of the June 2 acquisition of 701...

Pleasanton, Calif.--Off-price retailer Ross Stores on Tuesday signed a deal with Albertsons LLC to buy 46 Albertsons real estate sites in California, Florida, Texas, Arizona, Colorado and Oklahoma.(FINANCIALS)(Brief article)
October 11, 2006... PLEASANTON, Calif. -- Off-price retailer Ross Stores on Tuesday signed a deal with Albertsons LLC to buy 46 Albertsons real estate sites in California, Florida, Texas, Arizona, Colorado and Oklahoma. Financial terms were not disclosed. Ross...

National Community Pharmacists Association.(NEWSBITES)
October 4, 2006... ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The National Community Pharmacists Association has named Kathryn Kuhn executive director of the NCPA Foundation. Kuhn previously was executive director of NCPA's disease management education arm, the National Institute for...

Deerfield, Ill.--Walgreens on Friday said it has rolled out the tonerhead ink cartridge refill service to nearly 1,500 stores.(NEWSBITES)
October 4, 2006... DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Walgreens on Friday said it has rolled out the tonerhead ink cartridge refill service to nearly 1,500 stores. The refill stations are located behind the photofinishing counter and refill cartridges in about 15 minutes.

Franklin Lakes, N.J.--Becton, Dickinson and Co. on Thursday announced it will exit the blood glucose monitor market, noting that an "increasingly competitive market does not justify the levels of investment and additional resources necessary to continue.".(NEWSBITES)(Brief article)
October 4, 2006... FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J. -- Becton, Dickinson and Co. on Thursday announced it will exit the blood glucose monitor market, noting that an "increasingly competitive market does not justify the levels of investment and additional resources...

Chicago--Wal-Mart made its hard-won entry into the Windy City, opening its first store here on Sept. 27 following the defeat of a city ordinance that mandated a higher minimum wage and benefits for big-box retailers.(NEWSBITES)(Wal-Mart Stores Inc opens a new store in Windy City)(Brief article)
October 4, 2006... CHICAGO -- Wal-Mart made its hard-won entry into the Windy City, opening its first store here on Sept. 27 following the defeat of a city ordinance that mandated a higher minimum wage and benefits for big-box retailers. The 145,000-square-foot...

TRICARE vote a victory for retail pharmacy industry.(Department of Defense health care program)
October 4, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Responding to a massive outpouring of grassroots input from thousands of pharmacy owners, industry leaders and individual pharmacists, Congress handed community pharmacy a major victory by preserving military members' freedom to...

Bill introduced to create clear pathway for biogenerics.(Brief article)
October 4, 2006... WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., on Friday introduced the "Access to Life-Saving Medicine Act," a bill that would establish a pathway for generic versions of biotech drugs. "The good news...

Take Care Health partners with Humana, United Healthcare.(Brief article)
October 4, 2006... CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. -- Take Care Health Systems last week announced that its in-store clinics would serve as a qualified network provider for national health care providers Humana and United Healthcare. The clinic visits cost consumers...

Walgreens signs exclusive deal for acne treatment device.(Tyrell Inc)(Brief article)
October 4, 2006... HOUSTON -- Tyrell Inc. on Thursday announced that Walgreens would be its exclusive national drug store partner in distributing Zeno, a medical device used to treat acne. Zeno, which initially was available solely through physicians and...

Council to combat drug errors.(Brief article)
October 4, 2006... BETHESDA, Md. -- To help combat medication errors, the National Council on Patient Information and Education has dedicated its 2006 "Talk About Prescriptions" month observance in October to this public health topic. NCPIE is targeting...

Diabetes programs unveiled.(Brief article)
October 4, 2006... NEW YORK -- For the remainder of the year, Rite Aid is enhancing its chainwide diabetes awareness initiative by offering such items as a free Diabetes Guide and Diabetes Smart Cards with healthy recipes. In addition, Rite Aid's pharmacists...

Drugstore.com adds Rx prices.(Brief article)
October 4, 2006... BELLEVUE, Wash. -- In the wake of Wal-Mart's generic price push, online health and beauty aid provider drugstore.com has enhanced its Price Checker feature to include competitor prices for more than 100 top-selling drugs. Drugstore.com...

Cerberus to sell Cub Foods.(Brief article)
October 4, 2006... CHICAGO -- Cub Foods owner Cerberus Capital Management is selling its stores to regional grocers. The stores will be temporarily closed as their new owners redesign them and are expected to reopen early next year. Central Grocers...

Deerfield, Ill.--Walgreen Co. on Tuesday reported September sales of $4.03 billion, an increase of 15.1 percent from $3.5 billion for the same month in 2005.(FINANCIALS)
October 4, 2006... DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Walgreen Co. on Tuesday reported September sales of $4.03 billion, an increase of 15.1 percent from $3.5 billion for the same month in 2005. Same-store sales rose 8.5 percent, with pharmacy comps up 10.1 percent and...

Bentonville, Ark.--Wal-Mart on Saturday reported comp sales of 1.8 percent for the five-week September period.(FINANCIALS)
October 4, 2006... BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart on Saturday reported comp sales of 1.8 percent for the five-week September period. The retailer noted this period was "against strong comparisons in geographic areas affected by last year's hurricanes and also in...

Pleasanton, Calif.--Safeway announced Tuesday the purchase of the remaining 43.8 percent of online grocery service provider GroceryWorks that it did not already own, making GroceryWorks a wholly-owned subsidiary.(FINANCIALS)
October 4, 2006... PLEASANTON, Calif. -- Safeway announced Tuesday the purchase of the remaining 43.8 percent of online grocery service provider GroceryWorks that it did not already own, making Grocery-Works a wholly-owned subsidiary. Tesco and Safeway...

Chester, N.J.--Adams Respiratory on Tuesday announced it has filed a lawsuit here in district court against URL/Mutual for patent infringement.(FINANCIALS)
October 4, 2006... CHESTER, N.J. -- Adams Respiratory on Tuesday announced it has filed a lawsuit here in district court against URL/Mutual for patent infringement. Adams charges that the company, which announced the filing of an ANDA for extended-release...