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Walgreens
Buys Pharmacy in Ambulatory Care Center
Once again, Walgreens acquired a pharmacy in or near a hospital.
The store, inside the ambulatory care center at Marion General Hospital
in Marion, IN, will open Dec. 31. Prescriptions filled at the facility
can be refilled at any Walgreens location following discharge. Chronicle-Tribune
Contraceptives
Add STD Warning to Labels
FDA mandates that packages
of vaginal contraceptives known as spermicides must include a label
warning that they do not offer protection from sexually transmitted
diseases (STDs) including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In
addition, FDA requires that labels warn consumers that the chemical
N9 in stand-alone vaginal contraceptives and spermicides can irritate
the vagina and rectum, which may increase the risk of contracting
HIV/AIDS from an infected partner. FDA
Press Release
CVS Lauded
for Execution
CVS should be seen as the
leader in the drugstore sector after its acquisition of Caremark,
according to Jim Cramer of the "Mad Money" program on
CNBC. CNBC
CVS Caremark
Charity Tops $10 Million Mark
The CVS Caremark Charity
surpassed the $10 million milestone in fundraising thanks to funds
raised by the 2007 golf event CVS Caremark Charity Classic. The
money is donated to nonprofit organizations throughout Rhode Island
and New England. CVS
Press Release
Longs Commits
to CA Governor's Council Health Initiative
Longs Drug Stores Corporation
donated $225,000 to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's challenge to
build a healthier California via The Governor's Council on Physical
Fitness and Sports. CNNMoney
Rate of Retail
Pharmacists' Pay Hikes Slows in 2007
The rate of increase in retail
pharmacists' total compensation slowed to 4% in 2007 from 5.3% the
previous year, according to the latest semiannual pharmacy personnel
salary survey by Mercer, a global human resources consulting company.
Still, pharmacists' median total compensation now totals $102,800,
compared to $98,600 in 2006. ere.net
University
of Pittsburgh Developing Joint Pharmacy/MBA Degree
A course on "business of
medicines in health care" is offered by Pittsburgh's School of Pharmacy
and the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business. It is the first
step in the development of a dual doctorate of pharmacy and MBA
degree program being developed by the university. WebWire
EU
Rules Against Mastercard Over Processing Fees
Mastercard has six months
to come up with a new plan for interchange fees tied to cross-border
transactions after an EU commission concluded the current system
inflates retailer costs associated with accepting cards while not
offering any corresponding benefit to consumers. Mastercard plans
an appeal. The
Guardian
Boomers Going
Green
There are 40 million "green
boomers" in the U.S., according to an AARP survey. The number represents
more than half of all boomers. Their influence should push already
large eco-conscious consumer numbers higher. Presently, consulting
firm Deloitte claims 20% of all consumers will buy more eco-friendly
products this holiday and shop more at "green" retailers that make
efforts to save energy and resources in their stores and operations.
Online retailer PriceGrabber.com claims 71% of consumers believe
that it is "important to purchase eco-friendly products." USAToday
Holiday Sales
Worth Howling About
Over 71 million households
in the U.S. have dogs and two-thirds of them buy their pets holiday
gifts. AFP
Whole Foods
Testing Ban on Plastic Bags
Whole Foods is no longer
using plastic bags at two stores in its Austin, TX hometown. The
company says it is the first step in bagging plastic throughout
the chain. Whole
Foods Press Release
Consumer
Satisfaction Ranks High for Online Shopping
Shoppers like ordering online
for reasons beyond convenience. Many (82%) report being very satisfied
or somewhat satisfied with the customer support available and many
planned to post positive reviews about their experience, according
to a Nielsen survey. Retailing
Today (Free Registration Required)
Competing
Retailer Feels Little Threat from Expanding Tesco
Stater Bros. Holding feels
minimal competitive pressure from Tesco, which competes with the
foreign retailer in 20 sites, according to Jack Brown, Stater's
chairman and CEO. Supermarket
News
Children's
Health Insurance Plan Extended
The House temporarily extended
State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), a health insurance
program for children, through March 2009. The legislation, which
reduces Medicaid payments to schools by about $3.7 billion over
five years, gave physicians a 0.5% rate increase when they treat
the elderly and disabled in Medicare; physicians had been scheduled
to take a 10% cut. The
Associated Press
Glaxo Consolidates
North American Consumer Health Media Account
GlaxoSmithKline consolidated
its North American consumer health media account and awarded it
to WWP Group's MediaCom, according to a Glaxo spokesman. The British-based
company's consumer health care group, maker of Nicorette gum, Breathe
Right snoring relief strips and Sensodyne toothpastes, generated
worldwide sales of $6.3 billion in 2006. Reuters
SkyPharma
and Abbot Revise Flutiform Agreement
SkyePharma PLC revised its
agreement with Abbott for the U.S. development and commercialization
of FlutiformTM, the company's product under development for the
treatment of asthma. Abbott will assume the responsibility and costs
for additional clinical work required and agreed upon by the U.S.
FDA and submitting the New Drug Application (NDA) for Flutiform.
Bloomberg
Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Inc. May Consoldiate Operations
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
is considering consolidating its operations and moving to a new
office at Fan Pier on the South Boston Waterfront, according to
several people familiar with discussions. Boston
Globe (Free Registration Required)
Boomers Prefer
AARP Medicare Plans, Even Though They Cost More
AARP plans often cost hundreds
of dollars more a year than the lowest-priced competitors, according
to estimates by the government's Medicare website. But loyalty pushes
the AARP-branded plans to the top of the Medicare heap. As the Dec.
31 deadline approaches for Medicare members to change plans or sign
up, many seniors are choosing AARP to cut through the clutter of
a confounding marketplace. The
Philadelphia Inquirer (Free Registration Required)
Consumers
Want Medicare Reimbursements Hastened, Says NACDS/NCPA Survey
Access to prescription medications
for government health care programs should not be compromised by
unfair reimbursement practices and policies to their pharmacy providers,
according to a new survey from the polling company, inc. commissioned
by NACDS and the National Community Pharmacists Association. The
survey of 1,000 pharmacy patients supported fixing the current slow
reimbursement of Medicare Part D prescription drugs by the pharmacy
benefit managers that administer the plans, and the forthcoming
cuts in the reimbursement of Medicaid generic prescription drugs
was resounding. Some 83% also supported "new legislation in Congress
to ensure pharmacies providing Medicare Part D patients are reimbursed
by the government within 14 days. WKTV
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