WALGREENS

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens and Take Care Clinics once again are offering free blood-pressure testing every day throughout the month in honor of National High Blood Pressure Education Month.

The announcement follows Walgreens' free blood-pressure testing in February as part of the Million Hearts Initiative, a national public and private sector collaboration aimed at preventing 1 million heart attacks and strokes over the next five years.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy on Thursday added six medications to its oral oncology cycle management program, in a significant expansion of the comprehensive treatment and support program it provides to benefit patients, physicians and payers, the company announced.

DUBLIN, Ohio — The recent loss of business from a key specialty pharmacy customer and the continued deluge of generic introductions will represent significant challenges for Cardinal Health in fiscal year 2013 as it approaches the year-end of its fiscal 2012, company executives told analysts during a conference call Thursday morning.

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — The number of healthcare diagnostic products featuring a direct link to Apple's iPhone or iPod Touch increased by one on Wednesday as Sanofi US announced the launch of the iBGStar Blood Glucose Monitoring System.

iBGStar is available for purchase at Apple Retail Stores and all Walgreens stores nationwide, online at Apple.com, Walgreens.com and through Diabetic Care Services, the company added.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark president and CEO Larry Merlo told analysts Wednesday morning that he was “very pleased” with the company's first quarter, as results across both the retail and pharmacy benefit management segments came in at the high end of expectations, and its integrated assets continue to demonstrate success and improve patient lives.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — With new Massachusetts state regulations allowing pharmacists to administer a broad range of immunizations, Walgreens has significantly expanded vaccine availability at all of its 165 locations across the state, and now is offering immunizations daily for 12 vaccines currently recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the retail pharmacy operator announced Wednesday.
  

Innovate or stagnate into irrelevance. That’s the message chain pharmacy leaders had for their colleagues at last week’s National Association of Chain Drug Stores’ 2012 Annual Meeting in Palm Beach, Fla.

DALLAS — The Food Marketing Institute's One Big Event, a trade conference the association hosts every other year, will be held in Chicago from June 10 to 13 in 2014, FMI announced Monday.

“Chicago already supports an inherent food culture and it’s home to 19 of our FMI retailers, such as Central Grocers, Potash Markets and even Walgreens," FMI president and CEO Leslie Sarasin said.