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Rite Aid Buys Brooks and Eckerd Drugstores
Camp Hill, Pa. and Longueuil,
Quebec--In a deal said to be valued at $3.4 billion, Rite Aid has agreed
to buy Eckerd and Brooks drugstores from Jean Coutu Group USA. The deal will
make Rite Aid the third largest drugstore chain in the United States. Rite
Aid's headquarters will remain in Camp Hill, and Eckerd and Brooks will be
re-branded as Rite Aid. The acquisition will add four states to Rite
Aid's current store locations.
Plan B Emergency Contraceptive Receives OTC
Approval
Woodcliff Lake, N.J.--FDA
has approved Duramed Pharmaceuticals' Supplemental New Drug Application to
market Plan B (levonorgestrel) over-the-counter (OTC) to women age 18 and
older. Those younger than 18 will still require a prescription to obtain the
drug. The company plans to introduce the dual status (Rx/OTC) version of the
product before the end of the calendar year. Plan B will only be sold from
behind the counter.
FDA Advisory Board Review of Desvenlafaxine
Cancelled
Madison, N.J.--Wyeth has
announced that an FDA Advisory Board has cancelled a meeting to review data
included in its New Drug Application for desvenlafaxine succinate extended
release, a dual serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor indicated for the
treatment of major depressive disorder. According to Wyeth, FDA has decided it
is no longer necessary to hold the meeting before issuing its action letter in
October.
Medicine Shoppe and Medicap Pharmacy to Open
In-Store Clinics
St. Louis--Medicine Shoppe
International, Inc. reported it has formed an alliance with MindGent Health
Care Clinics to open "Classic Care Clinics," which will be staffed by nurse
practitioners or physician assistants, in its franchised Medicine Shoppe and
Medicap Pharmacy stores. The company expects to open over 100 clinics
nationwide by the end of 2007, with the first clinics opening in Indiana and
Ohio this year.
Independent Pharmacy Co-Ops Join Forces
Phoenix--United Drugs and
Partners in Pharmacy Cooperative (PIPCo) will expand their current
relationship, which is centered primarily in managed care, to provide
programs, services, and contracting capabilities for nationwide,
independently-owned and operated pharmacies.
Wellness Promotion Program Launched for
Children
New York City--Touro
College's School of Education and Psychology and Columbia University/Columbia
Presbyterian Hospital have come together to create Health Corps, a wellness
promotion program designed to give at-risk children information on
medications, pharmacists, and pharmacy career options. Current programs in
several upper Manhattan high schools are expected to expand.
NCPA Opposes CMS' Proposed Rule on Sale of DME
Alexandria, Va.--The
National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) is opposing Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services' Competitive Acquisition Program. Beginning in
2007, the Competitive Acquisition Program would require pharmacists to obtain
additional accreditation and submit to a competitive bidding process in order
to continue to sell durable medical equipment (DME) to Medicare beneficiaries.
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