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Retail News Breaks Archives Western Canadian pharmacy chain London Drugs has opened its 75th brick-and-mortar store. The Kroger Co. is making flu shots available on a walk-in basis at all of its in-store pharmacies and The Little Clinic locations. Next month, Sam's Club pharmacy locations plan to provide free diabetes and vision screenings for members and the public. The Supreme Court of Canada has cleared the way for Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. to proceed with its challenge of Ontario's ban on private-label generic drugs. Pharmacy is a vital business for Target Corp. and one that continues to grow at a healthy rate, says senior vice president of health and beauty Jose Barra. Customer satisfaction with pharmacies is high overall, but the level of satisfaction varies noticeably by channel, according to research from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. A leadership realignment at Supervalu Inc. will have ramifications for the food and drug retailer's pharmacy operation. Navarro Discount Pharmacy has expanded its menu of vaccines at all of its 31 drug stores in South Florida. The emergence of Health Mart as a major force in community pharmacy is one of the industry's most compelling stories in recent years. Doug Long, vice president of industry relations for IMS Health Inc., has received the Harold W. Pratt Award, the highest honor bestowed by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores. The National Community Pharmacists Association is calling on lawmakers in Pennsylvania to pass legislation to establish fair standards for pharmacy audits by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). Donors to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation recognized leaders in community pharmacy with contributions at the 2012 NACDS Pharmacy and Technology Conference. Supervalu Inc. is now administering flu immunizations at its nearly 800 supermarket pharmacy locations. Walgreen Co. has launched an application built into the social media website Facebook that enables users to print their photos, including "likes" and comments, at any Walgreens drug store nationwide. Few other pharmacies fill as clear a niche as those operated by Costco Wholesale Corp. “I think the single thing that most sets us apart is low price,” senior vice president of pharmacy Victor Curtis says. A federal judge has dismissed most of the claims made by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the National Community Pharmacists Association and nine independent pharmacies in their antitrust lawsuit against the merger of Express Scripts Inc. and Medco Health Solutions Inc. Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. has begun providing flu vaccinations at all of its in-store pharmacies. Duane Reade has proven equal to the challenge of creating a worthy successor to its flagship store at 40 Wall Street in Manhattan, which after its debut in July 2011, quickly became a model of what the 21st-century drug store can be. Chain drug pharmacies are not just reacting to change in the health care system. They’re driving it. At the NACDS Annual Meeting this past spring, I talked a lot about the “wellness kick” that is sweeping the nation. Consumers are looking for ways to improve their total health — physically and emotionally. Community pharmacy is uniquely positioned to help patients achieve total health, and now we have an even greater opportunity to take it to the next level. Chain drug retailing executives spotlighted the expanding role of community pharmacy and emerging models of health care in kicking off the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Pharmacy & Technology Conference this weekend.
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