Top Retailers

DEERFIELD, Ill. — With new advances in treatment therapy now available for hepatitis C patients, Walgreens on Monday announced it is expanding access to Walgreens Connected Care hepatitis C program through its more than 100 hepatitis C-specialized pharmacies. Walgreens Connected Care is an education and support plan designed to help patients achieve a sustained virologic response and improved quality of life through medication adherence. 

Recent strategic business initiatives are granting wholesalers more generic drug purchasing power than ever before.

Over the last few years, some major deals in the world of drug wholesaling have taken shape. While the business arrangements among the three top wholesalers differ slightly in terms of ownership, benefits and risks, one thing is for certain: all of the agreements will translate into growth opportunities for the companies involved and will help them improve their generic drug sourcing practices.

NEW YORK — Credit Suisse on Tuesday speculated that Safeway may be considering either a sale or acquisition. 

SAN FRANCISCO — McKesson and Rite Aid on Tuesday announced the signing of an expanded distribution agreement to include both brand and generic pharmaceuticals. The new five-year agreement, which extends through March 2019, creates efficiencies for both companies by leveraging the strength of Rite Aid as one of the leading national drug store chains in the United States, and McKesson as a leader in pharmaceutical sourcing and supply chain management, the companies reported. 

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Further expanding the scope of convenient, preventive health care services provided by its pharmacists, Walgreens on Thursday announced it is now offering daily testing for cholesterol, blood glucose and body composition at nearly 200 stores in California. Each test also includes a free blood pressure reading and personal consultation with a Walgreens pharmacist.

NASHVILLE — The Little Clinic continues to expand its geographic footprint with openings this month inside Kroger stores in the Cincinnati region and Louisville, Ky.

On Feb. 12, the company opened its newest clinic inside the Kroger Marketplace in Middletown, Ohio.

"Wherever you are in Cincinnati, one of our clinics is not far away," said Ken Patric, chief medical officer for The Little Clinic. "Adding additional clinics in the area allows a greater number of consumers close access to convenient, quality healthcare.”

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — New research conducted by CVS Caremark and Brigham and Women's Hospital identifies five key features of Value-Based Insurance Design plans that are associated with the greatest impact on medication adherence.

The study, which is published online Thursday in Health Affairs and also will appear in the journal's March issue, was funded by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Changes in Health Care Financing and Organization Initiative.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Acosta Sales & Marketing, a sales and marketing agency in the consumer packaged goods industry, has signed an agreement to acquire Anderson Daymon Worldwide, the sales and marketing agency that exclusively serves Costco Wholesale.