In this Issue

Drug Store News recently sat down with Scott Verner, president of Nipro Diagnostics, to discuss some of the synergies created by the acquisition of Home Diagnostics by Japan’s Nipro in March. 


Drug Store News: How is the new company better positioned in the U.S. market? What are the synergies?



The phrase coined by Sam Walton — “Stack ’em high and let ’em fly!” — is reverberating throughout Walmart again.


The retailer’s back-to-basics strategy is good news for OTC suppliers, because going back to basics at Walmart also means going back to a broader product selection. Between the resumption of Action Alley and a recommitment to assortment, Walmart already has grown its carrying inventory by 4%, and the company plans to grow its inventory at a rate of half the 
expected sales lift.


AUSTIN, Texas — An overwhelming majority of respondents to a recent poll want to choose which companies and government agencies can view and use their health information.



HOUSTON — Walgreens will receive a jolt to its brand image in February as the chain begins playing host to NRG’s eVgo electric vehicle charging stations across 18 locations in the Hous­ton market. The eye-catching stations will help position Walgreens, and such other participating retailers as H-E-B and Best Buy, as cutting-edge companies with an eye to the future — and as responsible neighbors intent to make good on the promise of sustainability.


New York — Given the high costs of medication nonadherence to the healthcare system and its responsibility for numerous hospitalizations every year, a number of companies have devised means to combat the problem. One pharmacy benefit manager is doing it online.


The results of the 2010 mid-term elections were dramatic, putting the Republican party firmly in control of the House of Representatives. And the GOP’s “Pledge to America” promises big spending and tax cuts, as well as a repeal of the health-reform law, in direct opposition to the goals of the Obama administration and most Democrats. To gauge the election results and what they mean for pharmacy retailing, Drug Store News interviewed Steve Anderson, president and CEO of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.

Sometimes shifting trends in business, society or technology can seem to crystallize, giving business leaders who are paying attention a clear view of a market’s future direction and forcing a fundamental realignment of their companies’ strategy. Such was the case four years ago for Innovation Associates, a leading pharmacy technology provider and the company behind the PharmAssist robotic automation system.

Shoppers are becoming more focused on health and wellness — and they are making the connection between oral health and overall health — so they increasingly are moving from the value segment to premium products, not to mention oral care regimens.