In this Issue

This could be the year.

Movement again is occurring in Congress on legislation that would confer professional provider status on pharmacists serving millions of older Americans in many parts of the country. Undimmed by a change in presidential administrations, the ascendancy of Republican lawmakers in both houses of Congress and the ongoing polarization and bitter divide of Washington politics, support for passage of a provider status bill remains strong on both sides of the aisle, following its reintroduction early this year.

McKesson’s Health Mart pharmacy network last year unveiled its Health Mart Pathway to Better Performance and Profit program, which represents a strategic roadmap that helps its 4,800 member independent pharmacies navigate their business in such a way that it not only boosts clinical metrics, but financial performance as well. Already, more than 44% of all Health Mart pharmacies have adherence metrics that rank in the top 20%, Crystal Lennartz, chief pharmacist at Health Mart, told Drug Store News.

There is no question that one of the top nonprescription categories contributing to both sales and foot traffic right now is allergy. According to IRI data, sales of nasal sprays — the category that captures all of the latest nasal corticosteroid Rx-to-OTC switches, such as Flonase and Nasacort — are up 10.2% to $1.2 billion across total U.S. multi-outlets for the 52 weeks ended Feb. 19.

Legislation pending in both houses of Congress regarding DIR, or direct and indirect remuneration, fees are giving hope to drug stores and two of the industry’s largest advocacy groups that pharmacy benefits management companies will stop retroactively reducing payments.

“DIR fees pick the pockets of community pharmacies and their patients,” National Community Pharmacists Association CEO Douglas Hoey wrote last month in an opinion piece in Morning Consult, an online service that provides daily email updates on Congress.

The nation’s leading warehouse club operator continues to push into new markets with a determined expansion program both in the United States and internationally. In the process, Costco Wholesale also is extending its reach into the market for pharmacy and preventive health services, surging past the 500 mark in total pharmacies operating in the United States and expanding its menu of health screenings, immunizations and clinical-care offerings.

Purveyors of health products have been riding the baby boomer wave for some time now, and it doesn’t appear to be cresting any time soon. According to the Population Reference Bureau, the number of Americans ages 65 years old and older is projected to more than double from 46 million today to more than 98 million by 2060, and the 65-and-older age group’s share of the total population will rise to nearly 24% from 15%.

(To view the full Category Review, click here.)

Masculine grooming choices are soaring — beard services are up 20%, men’s hair lightening 110% and men’s coloring 8%, according to Kline Pro, which also found men are especially interested in products for thinning hair, finishing and shine. The brands men look for include Layrite, Baxter and Jack Black.

(To view the full Category Review, click here.)

The top three brands in this year’s list of breakthrough brands, defined as those brands either introduced within the 52 weeks ended Dec. 25, 2016, or those brands that experienced blockbuster incremental growth in that time frame, feature the leading meal-replacement solutions on the market today in Premier Protein, Clif Bar and SlimFast, according to IRI. A fourth brand — Quest Nutrition’s Quest Bars — also ranks high on the list. It’s reflective of the consumer need for products that embody an aspirational health- and-wellness direction that many U.S.