In this Issue

There are three issues involving over-the-counter medicines today that have put the industry on the defensive, and all involve the question of appropriate access. Drug Store News examined each.

1. FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNTS
The issue: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act required that FSA participants obtain a prescription for those OTCs incorporated into their health savings agenda.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens in March expanded Joseph Magnacca’s role. As president of daily living products and solutions, Magnacca — the former Shoppers Drug Mart vet who as chief merchant of Duane Reade proved instrumental in the reinvention of the New York drug store chain — will oversee Walgreens’ marketing and merchandising operations, led by chief marketing officer Kim Feil and chief merchandising officer Bryan Pugh, but will report directly to president and CEO Greg Wasson.

Sugar and chalk. That’s what Pfizer researchers found in a pill that was supposed to be Cytotec, but was, in fact, a crude knockoff seized from a counterfeit drug lab in Peru.

Stainless steal
Syndicated “Ask the Builder” columnist Tim Carter has created Stain Solver, an organic powdered cleanser designed to take out even tough stains like red wine, blood and cooking grease.
Price: $14.97 and up
StainSolver.com

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association may not be painting pink Pepto-Bismol mustaches on a group of Hollywood celebrities and professional athletes as part of the new campaign it plans to fully unveil in June, but the goal is more or less the same as the “Got Milk?” ads.

“Got milk?” has become ubiquitous. There is 100% clarity of message. The milk mustache says it all: Milk is an essential food and an integral part of a healthy diet; it HAS TO BE in your refrigerator, on your breakfast table and in your lunch box.

COVINGTON, La. — Winn-Dixie’s chairman, president and CEO, Peter Lynch, calls them “state of the art.” The company’s VP pharmacy, John Fegan, calls them “transformational.” They’re talking about the Jacksonville, Fla.-based supermarket chain’s glitzy new prototype store, an upscale and eye-popping showcase for everything from locally sourced foods to gluten-free and specialized dietary offerings.

The 2011 NACDS Marketplace Conference will take place in Boston, June 25 to 28. More than 230 retail companies — representing more than $500 billion in annual buying power — and more than 90% of the consumer packaged goods industry is expected to attend. To learn more, Drug Store News talked with NACDS SVP member programs and services Jim Whitman and NACDS director of conference exhibits and registration Roy McGrath.

DSN: Why is Marketplace more important than ever? What’s new this year?

Regional operator Giant Eagle always has pushed the envelope with new store concepts, as evidenced by its high-end Market District grocery brand and Giant Eagle Express, a convenience store/gas station replete with a wide offering of food items and a full-service, drive-through pharmacy.