In this Issue

One of Health Mart’s newest owners is Yang Xiong, who opened Minneapolis’ Northside Community Health Mart Pharmacy in July. A 2011 graduate of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Minnesota, Xiong spent his first years working for two national chains. That experience led him to want to operate his own pharmacy and have a more direct impact on his patients.

NEW YORK — Among the new entrants to the growing facial oil segment is L’Oréal Paris’ Age Perfect Glow Renewal Facial Oil, which hit shelves in July. Described as the first concentrated facial oil to any mass market, the oil is designed to boost skin’s natural radiance and provide all-day hydration. It contains a blend of eight essential oils, which have been selected based on their lightweight, fast-absorbing properties.

For the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Generic Drugs, one of the biggest stumbling blocks has been its significant backlog of generic drug approval applications. But it’s steadily making progress in addressing the problem.

When Congress approved a reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act that included the Generic Drug User Fee Amendments last year, that backlog included about 2,500 applications. But thanks to GDUFA, the agency has managed to clear muchof it.

The health and pharmacy marketplace is undergoing rapid and fundamental transformation. To navigate profitably in tomorrow’s complex and shifting healthcare system, the pharmacy benefit management industry — along with the pharmacies and health plan payers allied with PBMs — are going to have to change and adapt as well.

It has been just over a year since Frank Scorpiniti took the helm at Canada's Rexall Pharma Plus. And, as the Canadian retail market continues to heat up, the company has officially taken the lid off a reinvention of its business, from its stores and its brand, to the products and services in its stores.

While the Food and Drug Administration released draft guidance on regulations for biosimilars in February 2012, the final regulations have yet to appear. But already, everyone from analysts to trade groups to drug makers is preparing for a time when knock-off versions of biotech drugs will become available.

A new report sheds light on some of the opportunities and challenges that exist in follow-on biologics, arguing that their opportunity to generate value depends on factors like the speed of development, clarity of regulation, ease of access and the roles of all stakeholders.

Smart device usage has become an active part of in-store shopping. According to a recent poll of Accent-Health smart device owners, nearly 3-out-of-5 have used their phone or tablet to aid in product selection while shopping in-store. However, consumers are more likely to research their next TV on their mobile device than their prescription medication. According to AccentHealth VP market research, Natalie Hill, "When it comes to medical treatment, healthcare professionals remain the most trusted source for information.

An oft-cited 1998 report, recently repeated again by the surgeon general in the January/ February 2012 "Public Health Report," estimated that 125,000 U.S. citizens die each year due to complications related to adherence. Also worrisome is the statistic that one-third to one-half of all patients don't take medication as prescribed, and according to a 2011 study by Harvard, Brigham and Women's Hospital and CVS, up to one-quarter of these never fill prescriptions at all.