What 2023 will hold for health, wellness companies
The year is not starting with a bang, but with a slow and uncertain step forward. Inflation is still rising; the threat of a recession looms on the horizon.
Opinion
Nutritional supplements likely to receive greater scrutiny
Is a regulatory reckoning just around the corner for vitamins, minerals, herbals and supplements? The more my partners and I at the New England Consulting group look at some of NIH’s (National Institutes of Health’s) recent programming and FTC’s (Federal Trade Commission’s) enforcement actions since
Rebuilding shoppers’ trust
One of the key insights coming out of our latest How America Shops research is how much people’s trust has been eroded over the last several years. I suppose that shouldn’t be a surprise in this day and age when the world is in such turmoil. However, we can’t only blame politicians and bankers and
Four unanswered questions loom large
The National Association of Chain Drug Stores is about to convene its Annual Meeting, that laudable and impressive gathering of mass retailers and suppliers that highlights every spring.
Amazon Rx adds new coupon tool
Amazon has put another building block in place as it works to bring the experience of pharmacy customers fully into the digital era.
Rx finds itself between a rock and a hard place
The dispensing of mifepristone, one of two medications used sequentially to terminate pregnancy, has emerged as a very thorny problem for Walgreens, one that will, in short order, engulf other retail pharmacies across the country.
Expect a resolution that saves face for all
and not under the most favorable circumstances. Along with other newspapers and periodicals, The New York Times has lately put Walgreens in its cross hairs, with attention-grabbing headlines such as these:
How retail pharmacies can play a role in the discount card market
Prescription drug discount cards are a fast-growing market. The growing complexity of insurance plans and a system of pharmaceutical discounts and rebates that is not visible to the patient have widened the discrepancy between the cost of drugs and what patients actually pay.
CVS takes another step to revamp health care
CVS Health’s long anticipated push into primary care represents yet another milestone for the company, which in little more than three decades has transformed itself from a regional drug chain into one of the nation’s leading multifaceted health care providers, as well as a potential turning point i
Drug stores should leave their past behind
Imagine, if you can, a drug store without a pharmacy. Once upon a not-so-distant time, many chain drug stores opened without pharmacies, calling themselves health and beauty aid stores.
At-home diagnostics offers ‘a lucrative opportunity’
At-home diagnostic testing has grown from a nascent pre-pandemic trend to an emerging, high-growth health product category in the pandemic’s wake. The accelerated adoption of over-the-counter COVID-19 rapid antigen tests used for at-home self-testing was the tipping point.
Amazon’s RxPass part of a bigger picture
By now it has become a familiar refrain: Amazon is taking another step to extend its reach in the $4 trillion health care sector.
Some relatively easy industry predictions
The new year has been under way for about a month now, and speculation about the upcoming 12 months already abounds. Not to be left at the starting gate, here’s a look from Chain Drug Review’s headquarters into what just might happen between now and December 31 and what will remain anyone’s guess.
Pharmacists can fill a gap in care for rare diseases
How could an economic downturn in 2023 impact the most vulnerable patients? If we look at lessons from past recessions, we see that increases in unemployment, inflation and financial stress significantly impact access to medicines.
The culture wars are coming to drug chains
including the two biggest, CVS Health and Walgreens Boots Alliance — will soon find themselves caught in the middle of the nation’s culture wars, having been thrust into the debate over abortion rights by a recent shift in policy at the
Donigan’s exit raises questions
The new year has gotten off with a stunning development, at least for those with no inside knowledge of chain drug retailing. Heyward Donigan, Rite Aid’s chief executive, announced she is leaving the company she joined three years ago.