Tag:

Walgreens will not dispense abortion pills in nearly two dozen states after legal threats from GOP lawmakers, the retail pharmacy chain confirmed...The Walgreens decision stems from a letter written by nearly two dozen Republican state attorneys general at the beginning of February that threatened legal action if the company began distributing mifepristone in their states...Walgreens...spokesperson saying “we are not distributing mifepristone at this time. We intend to be a certified pharmacy and will distribute mifepristone only in those jurisdictions where it is legal and operationally feasible.”...READ MORE

Americans living or working in long-term care facilities, including nursing homes and assisted care living centers, will receive COVID-19 vaccinations for free if and when they become available, the Trump administration said...The administration announced a partnership with the nation's two largest drug store chains, CVS and Walgreens, "to provide and administer" the vaccines with "no out-of-pocket costs" for the recipients...READ MORE

Walgreens has undertaken a partnership to bring Aspen Dental-branded dental offices to two of its locations in Florida. The companies said the collaboration is aimed at helping transform Walgreens’ stores into health destinations that improve healthcare access in convenient settings...The companies held a “floss-cutting” ceremony at a location in Palatka, Fla. On Dec. 13, with the second Aspen Dental at Walgreens location set to open in the second quarter of 2019. The Aspen Dental office will offer free new patient exams and X-rays for patients without insurance and will feature an onsite denture lab to quickly turnaround custom dentures, repairs, relines or adjustments...

Walgreens is taking proactive measures to assist customers, team members and communities in the projected path of Hurricane Florence, and is preparing to fully support impacted regions in the storm’s aftermath. The company is taking the following steps:

• Prescription Drug Preparedness: In advance of the hurricane, Walgreens is underscoring the importance of prescription preparedness for its pharmacy patients in areas that may be impacted. With a State of Emergency declared in parts of North Carolina and South Carolina, pharmacists in the state can refill medications up to a 30-day supply without requiring a prescriber’s refill authorization for any non-controlled substance.
• Customer Support: Walgreens is proactively staging temporary mobile pharmacies near the region that can be deployed, if necessary, to drugstores that may be damaged or unable to reopen in a timely manner. Walgreens has also staged emergency power generators that can be deployed to drugstores in areas where there is a loss of power.
• Relief and Recovery: The company will be evaluating its philanthropic response immediately following the hurricane and intends to activate its nationwide network of stores to allow individuals to donate to the American Red Cross hurricane relief efforts, in addition to preparing to donate needed items to emergency shelters.

CVS, Walgreens and Walmart pharmacies recklessly distributed massive amounts of pain pills in two Ohio counties, a federal jury said...in a verdict that could set the tone for U.S. city and county governments that want to hold pharmacies accountable for their roles in the opioid crisis...Lake and Trumbull counties blamed the three chain pharmacies for not stopping the flood of pills that caused hundreds of overdose deaths and cost each of the two counties about $1 billion, their attorney said...The counties were able to convince the jury that the pharmacies played an outsized role in creating a public nuisance in the way they dispensed pain medication into their communities...READ MORE

This is another way CVS and Walgreens are adding health services to their stores to keep people coming in, with more and more dollars being spent online...SmileDirectClub has opened six locations inside CVS stores to fit people’s teeth for invisible aligners...Walgreens has opened an Aspen Dental office in one of its Florida stores in December...You can already get checked and treated for strep throat at many drugstores. You can now get your teeth cleaned and straightened at some...People are shopping more online. That’s a problem for drugstores, so Walgreens and CVS are getting creative...It all boils down to trying to diversify what they’re offering in the front of the store...

Walgreens and FedEx are teaming up...The companies have launched Walgreens Express, a service that will provide next-day delivery nationwide, as well as same-day delivery in select markets...Patients who are enrolled in Walgreens text alerts will get a text message notification when their qualifying prescriptions are ready. They can then follow a process to choose to have their prescription delivered the next day for a $4.99 fee...Walgreens said most prescription orders are available to be delivered by the next business day, it said some prescription benefit plans and insurance plans do not allow home delivery, encouraging patients to talk to a pharmacist with any questions.

Dozens of pharmacy chains and grocery stores with pharmacy counters are slated to start offering COVID-19 vaccinations this week, creating a wealth of employment opportunities. The companies are vying with one another—offering lucrative signing bonuses, in some cases—to hire established pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, student pharmacists, nurses, and other help. CVS Health is working toward 15,000 new vaccine-related hires, Walgreens has targeted 9,000, Kroger plans to recruit nearly 1,000 health care workers, and Rite Aid is looking to fill more than 2,000 pharmacy jobs...READ MORE

Walgreens Boots Alliance shareholders have instructed the company to explain how it’s monitoring and managing risks related to the opioid crisis, according to preliminary results announced...at Walgreens’ annual shareholders meeting...The measure requires Walgreens to prepare a report by June 30 detailing any changes the company has made to its corporate governance since 2012 in response to the opioid crisis. Investors want more specifics, including how Walgreens’ board oversees opioid-related programs and whether executive bonuses consider any opioid-related objectives like promoting ethical conduct...Walgreens’ board opposed the proposal, saying it already discloses how it’s handling the issue...Drugmakers, distributors and pharmacies have all come under scrutiny for their role in the crisis...Lax prescribing and monitoring of prescription painkillers is widely seen as fueling opioid addiction. Now these companies face lawsuits from thousands of state and local governments.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has added Walgreens and CVS Health as defendants in the state's massive lawsuit against the opioid industry...Legal analysts say Florida and other plaintiffs are targeting the distributors and pharmacies, in part, because they have deep pockets...The...lawsuit accuses the drug stores and pharmaceutical distributors like Cardinal Health, Amerisource Bergen and McKesson of playing as big a role in the proliferation of opioid addiction as drug manufacturers like...Purdue Pharmaceuticals and Johnson & Johnson's Janssen Pharmaceuticals...