NewsBytes — Chain Pharmacy, 6/25/12
FLINT, Mich. — The leader of the country’s largest privately owned specialty pharmacy provider had a day in Washington. Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy CEO Phil Hagerman and several other business leaders were invited last month to attend a one-day forum on jobs and the economy, and opportunities for collaboration between government and private sector, by the White House Business Council and Business Forward.
“I am extremely honored to represent Diplomat, the state of Michigan and also Flint’s business community,” Hagerman said. “Diplomat’s continued growth has positioned us to be part of the Michigan delegation. In January, we had 360 employees. Today, as the nation’s fourth-largest specialty pharmacy, we employ over 700 people, and we’re hiring every day.”
Diplomat has expanded rapidly in the Flint area, completing in early 2011 its move to the General Motors Great Lakes Technology Centre. In July 2011, the company received a visit from secretary of labor Hilda Solis and was named in September 2011 to Inc. magazine’s top 5,000 list for the third year in a row.
In the wake of the White House Summit, Diplomat will look to hire more veterans, according to published reports. “The plight of unemployed veterans” was one of the takeaways from the event, Hagerman told local media in Michigan.
CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid is expanding the range of vaccines that customers can get at its stores in West Virginia following rules recently enacted by the state regulators, the retail pharmacy chain said. Under the new regulations adopted by the state pharmacy, medicine and osteopathy boards, pharmacists now can vaccinate adult patients against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, shingles, flu and pneumonia.
“Thanks to the new regulations, it’s easier than ever for West Virginians in both rural and urban communities to protect themselves against a wide range of diseases,” Rite Aid regional VP pharmacy Bill Cropper said.
QUINCY, Mass. — Two supermarket chains owned by Royal Ahold are dispensing prescription pet drugs at their stores, they said. Stop & Shop announced a new pet medications program, which it is offering under a partnership with pet pharmacy PetCareRx. The program includes three popular prescription drugs for pets that had previously only been available from veterinarians and online vet pharmacy providers, including Heartguard Plus, Rimadyl and Frontline Plus. If customers can’t fill drugs at a local store, the pharmacist will work with PetCareRx to fill and ship the drug directly to their home address within two or three days. Another Ahold chain, Giant-Carlisle, is offering a similar program, also under a partnership with PetCareRx.
“At Stop & Shop, we recognize that pets are members of the family, and their health and well-being are of great importance to our customers,” Stop & Shop New England division public and community relations manager Suzi Robinson said. “We’re pleased to offer this great convenience for shoppers to pick up prescriptions for their pets when they pick up prescriptions for others in their family.”