NEW YORK - Media reports on Wednesday indicated drugstore chain Walgreen Co. is in talks about a plan to offer prescription drugs directly to employees of Delta Air Lines Inc.It sells prescription drugs directly to Caterpillar Inc. employees under an arrangement that appeared to be similar to Wednesday's reported discussions.Caterpillar employees, dependents, and retirees have the option to buy prescription drugs from Walgreen, which reduces drug benefit costs for the company.

Read more: Walgreen reportedly in drug plan talks with Delta

ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Although the 2009-2010 winter season has presented patients with a variety of significant hurdles to obtaining prescription drugs and pharmacy services, a recent survey by the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) indicated that local pharmacists stepped up to the plate to make sure that patients' health care needs were met.NCPA polled 85 community pharmacies in 26 snow-plagued states over a seven-day period in February, while much of the East Coast was still digging out from "Snowmageddon" and some areas braced for additional winter precipitation."Like many Americans, community pharmacists are anxious to put this long winter season in the rear-view mirror," said Joseph H. Harmison, PD, President of NCPA and an Arlington, Texas pharmacist.

Read more: Community Pharmacists Rise to Meet Winter Weather Challenges, Survey Finds

CAMP HILL, Pa. - Drug store chain Rite Aid Corp. said Thursday that its sales at stores open at least a year fell 3.2 percent in February, hurt by a weaker cold and flu season that had consumers buying fewer medications.Analysts, on average, were expecting a decline of 1.7 percent, according to a poll by Thomson Reuters.Rite Aid said ongoing weak consumer demand and bad weather in the northeast and south hurt sales.

Read more: Rite Aid February sales decline

ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) and Sharps Compliance Inc. today officially announced their partnership agreement to offer the association's member pharmacies discounted services for the Sharps TAKEAWAY Environmental Return SystemTM . In conjunction with the 40th anniversary of Earth Week (April 17-24), NCPA is launching this initiative to help advance three important objectives with regards to unused medications: ensure they are discarded in an environmentally friendly manner; prevent abuse or accidental misuse; and offer an additional business opportunity for community pharmacies."This exciting partnership gives many community pharmacies an easier way to meet a growing patient demand for a safe and environmentally friendly way to safely discard unused medications," said Joseph H. Harmison, PD, NCPA President and pharmacy owner in Arlington, TX. "By using the Sharps TAKEAWAY Environmental Return SystemTM pharmacies can do well by doing good."

Read more: NCPA Partners With Sharps Compliance to Help Community Pharmacies Promote Rx Disposal Programs During Earth Week

DEERFIELD, Ill. - Drugstore chain operator Walgreen Co. said Monday that it is restructuring its health care division to integrate sales efforts for both its pharmacy and wellness services operations.Under the new structure, the company is unifying its sales teams for both its health and wellness division, which currently operates Walgreen's in-store clinics and health centers, and pharmacy benefit management service.Led by Kermit Crawford, Walgreen's pharmacy division - which oversees retail pharmacy operations - will now take responsibility for long-term care pharmacies, specialty pharmacy, infusion pharmacy and mail-service pharmacy as well as home-care services.

Read more: Walgreen combines pharmacy, wellness divisions

Mar. 1--For years, pharmacists have waged a quiet battle with doctors and nurse practitioners over who gets to administer vaccines. That tussle over what has become a multibillion-dollar industry came to the forefront last fall when fears of the H1N1 virus prompted health officials in many states, including Illinois, to allow more pharmacists to administer vaccine shots under special or emergency orders. Confronted with the prospect of providing tens of thousands of doses of vaccine against two potentially deadly types of flu in the same season, Illinois officials eased regulations to allow pharmacies to provide seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccines to patients 9 and older, lowered from 14.

Read more: Walgreens, CVS Lobby for Pharmacist-administered Vaccines in Illinois

Walgreens (NYSE: WAG)(NASDAQ: WAG) will continue filling Medicaid prescriptions at its Washington state pharmacies through March 15. "We're encouraged by the state's willingness to continue working with us to find a solution that will allow all of our stores to continue serving our Medicaid patients," said Kermit Crawford, Walgreens senior vice president of pharmacy. "We recognize the budget challenges the administration and the Legislature face and we're optimistic that our continued talks will result in a solution that will provide the savings the state is looking for, while allowing pharmacies to maintain service for those patients with the most need and the fewest options."

Read more: Walgreens Pharmacies Remain in Washington Medicaid Program; Talks Continue with State of Washington

WOONSOCKET, R.I., March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Caremark, the largest pharmacy health care provider in the United States, is pleased to sponsor nationally known author, educator and entrepreneur Stedman Graham to speak today at Kent State University and Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy (NEOUCOM) as part of the company's commitment to increase diversity in the pharmacy profession, and help high school students take their first steps in health care careers.Graham will serve as the keynote speaker this afternoon at NEOUCOM's sixth annual Diversity Leadership and Awards Celebration, an event that supports diversity scholarships and recognizes outstanding individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing and improving diversity within the school's Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy and Health Professions.Drawing from his book Diversity: Leaders not Labels, Graham will discuss how students can develop an identity and sense of self, and break out of the box that keeps them from growing to their full potential - revealing that success is truly based on results, performance and excellence.

Read more: Stedman Graham to Speak Today at Kent State University and Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy as Part of CVS Caremark Program ; Presentations further CVS Caremark's commitments to help inspire high school students and increas

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/08d963/state_of_the_pharm) has announced the addition of Decision Resources, Inc.'s new report "State of the Pharmaceutical Industry, 2010 - Critical Role of Midsize Pharma" to their offering.In this report, we assess the health of Midsize Pharma and examine the reasons for the rapid turnover of this group of companies.Although the biotech industry is largely credited as the innovation engine for the pharmaceutical industry, opportunities also flourish in the Midsize Pharma industry.

Read more: Research and Markets: State of the Pharmaceutical Industry 2010 - Critical Role of Midsize Pharma

WOONSOCKET, R.I., March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) today announced the results of the Company's annual employer client benefit survey about priorities for PBM services in the coming year. Overall, employers listed price (86 percent), customer service (86 percent), trust and reliability (84 percent) and consumer engagement capabilities (46 percent) as key priorities for their PBM procurement strategy."The economic environment continues to impact companies this year, with 66 percent telling us that reducing overall health care costs is their number one success measure," said Jack Bruner, Executive Vice President, Strategic Development, Caremark Pharmacy Services.

Read more: CVS Caremark Annual Employer Survey Finds Majority of Employers Rate Managing Costs as Top Priority in 2010 ; Employers also looking to PBM programs to help improve the member experience