CVS

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark recorded strong financial results for the fourth quarter and full year, and made solid progress across the enterprise during 2011, which set the stage for future growth. However, it was the potential benefit that CVS Caremark is seeing from Walgreens’ battle with Express Scripts that was top of mind for many and was a key question that president and CEO Larry Merlo hit head on at the top of Wednesday morning’s conference call.

DUBLIN, Ohio — Cardinal Health was granted a temporary restraining order Friday against the Drug Enforcement Administration's suspension order of its Lakeland, Fla., distribution center.

A preliminary injunction hearing is currently scheduled for Feb. 13.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — Representatives of the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust, a private foundation created by CVS Caremark, kicked off a "Day of Giving" on Tuesday by surprising several nonprofits with the grant funding they had requested.

The visits, hosted by several of the company's executives, were timed to coincide with the announcement that $4.3 million has been awarded in grants to 98 nonprofit organizations across the country in 2011, which includes multiyear grants from previous years.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark has announced the appointment of Larry Burton as SVP government affairs, effective Feb. 27, bringing more than 30 years of experience in strategy development, public policy and government affairs to the company.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy has introduced a program that allows pharmacy patients to receive immediate notification via text message when their prescription is ready to be picked up, the drug store chain said.

Order Ready Text Messaging, which is available on nearly all mobile carriers, offers text alerts in English and Spanish. Customers interest in enrolling into Order Ready Text Messaging can do so by speaking to a pharmacy staff member or visiting CVS.com/text. Standard message rates apply.

Will the merger of Express Scripts and Medco go through? Not if pharmacy lobbyists can stop it. There’s nothing new about the fact that different industry groups connected with retail pharmacy or health care can hold strongly opposing views about what’s good or profitable for their own members. But for undisguised hostility and tit-for-tat charges and countercharges, nothing comes close to the long-running feud between independent pharmacy and the pharmacy benefits management industry.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — With at least a dozen states reporting confirmed cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, during the first three weeks of January, MinuteClinic is urging parents and guardians to obtain a DTaP shot (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis) for unvaccinated children under 7 years old.  Booster shots, known as Tdap, also are encouraged for all pre-teens, teens and adults.