Diabetes

INDIANAPOLIS — Marsh Supermarkets is offering a new program for patients with diabetes, according to the Indianapolis-based chain's website.

Under Marsh's Diabetes Care program, patients who bring a new prescription to a Marsh supermarket pharmacy or transfer an existing one will receive up to a 30-day supply of qualifying generic diabetes medications for free, as well as free universal lancets.

The medications include glipizide, metformin, glimepiride and glyburide. The program is available through the end of May 2012.

The diabetes patient has long been identified as a coveted higher-trip, higher-
market-basket opportunity 
for pharmacy operators. And now Rite Aid has created a loyalty card 
program specifically for that diabetes patient.


WOONSOCKET, R.I. — As part of its broad support for patients with diabetes, and in recognition of American Diabetes Month, CVS Caremark announced on Thursday that it will be hosting live Facebook chats to answer patients' questions about diabetes and chronic condition management.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Meijer has launched a chainwide effort to position its pharmacy staff as diabetes specialists.

The announcement was made by Effie Steele, the chain's clinical services manager.

PRINCETON, N.J. — Novo Nordisk has donated $50,000 to an organization that raises awareness about diabetes and connects people living with it, the Danish drug maker said.

The company said the donation, to the Diabetes Hands Foundation, was meant to recognize the Drive the Switch program, which it said had motivated more than 10,000 people to pledge to talk to loved ones and their doctors about insulin options.

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Abbott last week officially announced the launch of Glucerna Hunger Smart nutrition shakes, pictured here at a central Pennsylvania Wegmans, that specifically targets patients living with diabetes. It's a testament to the opportunity in serving up products that will appeal to as many as one-third of the population, which happens to be the number of Americans who will be diagnosed with diabetes if current trends continue.

 

SAN FRANCISCO — Health Mart on Tuesday officially unveiled its Health Mart brand, a new line of private-label, over-the-counter products that will help place the Health Mart banner in America's medicine cabinets.

The Health Mart private label will launch with diabetes products to coincide with National Diabetes Month.

BOSTON — Employee wellness experts from Babcock & Wilcox, Caesars Entertainment and others spoke to the synergies that such a company as Walgreens' Take Care Health Systems can create across their health management strategies during a panel discussion here last week at the National Conference on Health, Productivity and Human Capital hosted by the National Business Group on Health.

Representing businesses that collectively employ more than 120,000 workers, the panelists discussed a number of emerging themes in employer-sponsored health care, including: