In this Issue

Specialty and biotech medicines aimed at treating cancer, multiple sclerosis and rare diseases will dominate much of drug development in 2017 and beyond, one of the nation’s top specialty pharmacy providers concluded.

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

Among the 22 novel new drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2016, about half were considered specialty drugs, and Diplomat identified four key specialty approvals that innovate in certain categories. Two of these were in the hepatitis C space, which has driven specialty growth for several years.

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For those retailers bold enough to sniff out a fresh opportunity, at least as far as the mass merchant space is concerned, aromatherapy realized some rosy sales gains in 2016. Citing Nielsen data, Piping Rock reported the aromatherapy opportunity in mass is racing along at an annual growth trajectory of 121%, reaching $44 million for the 52 weeks ended Dec. 31, 2016 across all outlets combined.

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

Maybe men have been the secret all along to pumping up front-end sales.

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Consumers buying homeopathic remedies base those decisions on two factors: products that are safe and efficacious. The products have to work, or they wouldn’t earn the repeat purchases that are helping to drive sales.

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Twenty years ago this month, I put on what was then my “lucky” tie, this horrible, neon yellow number from Banana Republic — it wore more like a bad Hawaiian shirt than a tie — and I started a new job as senior editor for OTCs and natural health at Drug Store News.

Sure, I have a lot less hair today than I did then, but I also have much better taste in ties.

The road to a career at the intersection of business and politics may have started with a “mean impersonation” of our 37th president, the CHPA chief tells DSN.

CVS Health senior educator Kristene Diggins and others involved in the fight against diabetes said they expect drug stores and retail clinics to play a bigger role in coming years.

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