In this Issue

Sales of coconut water continue to soar. According to a recent report from Mintel, the U.S. market for coconut water was around $350 million in 2011, representing 2% of the total fruit juice and drinks sales. The report suggested that coconut water offers growth opportunity in an otherwise maturing fruit juice/drinks market; in all three outlets, coconut water sales grew by 165% to $59 million during 2010-2011.

Retail pharmacy veteran Frank Scorpiniti officially assumed the role of CEO of Rexall Pharma Plus in February. Now that he’s settled in North of the Border, Scorpiniti talked with Drug Store News about his new role and his insights on the Canadian retail pharmacy market.

DSN: What are your key goals as CEO of Rexall Pharma Plus, and how would you describe your leadership style?

Medication nonadherence costs the U.S. healthcare system about $290 billion per year, according to New England Healthcare Institute. That big and scary number — the kind whose sheer enormity can make one’s eyes glaze over — is now even bigger.


Appropriately promoting niche brands within the intimacy health space can be a little trickier than the average consumer packaged goods product. And social media isn’t necessarily the ideal platform — an adult may not be as comfortable “liking” an intimacy enhancement product on Facebook to show their brand affinity, for example. 


NEW YORK — One of the first lessons in life that children learn is that getting sick isn’t fun, and going to the pharmacy isn’t too exciting either. In 2004, pharmacist Charles Tabouchirani decided to change that by opening Cherry’s Pharmacy, a store that specializes in dealing with children.

Social media ranks as one of those technologies that has changed the world in many ways, allowing networking across the world, sharing of thoughts and events from people’s lives, embarrassment of public figures and, more recently, even helping to feed political revolutions. 


It also has created a new platform for companies looking to get their products — and word of those products — out to a wider audience.


Big trends can sometimes take centuries or even millennia to develop. Think about how long it took between the dawn of anatomically modern humans and the adoption of agriculture. Health care is no different, having come a long way since the days of bloodletting and the assorted quackeries that were once considered acceptable medical practices.


ScriptPro has released a new pharmacy robot that it said would have the smallest footprint of its robotics lineup.


The Mission, Kan.-based pharmacy automation manufacturer announced the launch of the Compact Robotic System, which takes up 7 sq. ft. and is designed for tight spaces and pharmacies with lower volumes that want to improve patient safety and operational efficiency.