Longs to Walgreens: No Deal
Walnut Creek, CA — Longs Drug Stores Corp. rejected an offer from Walgreen Co. to acquire all of its outstanding shares for $75 per share in cash for a total purchase price of approximately $3 billion, including the assumption of debt. The offer represented a $3.50 per share premium over the cash purchase price already proposed by CVS/Caremark Corporation and accepted by Longs. In the latest offer, Walgreens proposed to acquire Longs retail drug stores in California, Hawaii, Nevada, and Arizona, as well as its prescription benefits management company, RxAmerica, LLC. According to The San Francisco Chronicle's Web site, SFGate.com, the proposal was rejected "due to fears over antitrust concerns" and a possible extension of regulatory approvals which could take up to a year. It also reported Walgreens spokesperson Michael Polzin as saying that Walgreens remains "committed to pursuing our proposal."

HHS Declares Public Health Emergency in Texas and Louisiana
Washington, DC — In the wake of Hurricane Ike, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt declared the states of Texas and Louisiana public health emergencies to ensure that individuals living in those states, including those enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, and other government-run health care services, are not deprived of the programs. According to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Acting Administrator Kerry Weems, the declaration allows for temporarily relaxing the agency's normal operating procedures so that health care services "will continue to be provided to the elderly, people with disabilities, and vulnerable children" after they left the areas affected by Hurricane Ike.

Top Pharmacy Education Award Given to Eight Schools
Alexandria, VA — The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy has awarded eight colleges and schools of pharmacy their prestigious Crystal APPLE Award, which recognizes their achievement in excellence by providing exemplary experiential education. The award also recognizes the contributions of faculty, administrators, and the pharmacist practitioner educators who are their practice partners. This year's winners are Sanford University McWhorter School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Northeastern University School of Pharmacy, University of Michigan College of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy, and Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy.

In-store Clinics Attracting Patients Without Personal Physicians
Santa Monica, CA — A study conducted by the Rand Corporation uncovered that in-store medical clinics typically attract insured and uninsured patients seeking help for easy-to-treat illnesses or preventative care that do not otherwise have a regular health care provider. After analyzing more than 1.3 million visits to retail clinics over a seven-year span, it was also discovered that 43% of patients visiting retail clinics are between the ages of 18 and 44, compared to 23% who visit primary care physician offices. About 90% of the visits were for simple, acute conditions and preventative care. This compares to about 18% of visits to primary care physician offices and 12% of emergency department visits.

NACDS Study: Pharmacies Have Significant Impact on U.S. Economy
Alexandria, VA — According to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores' (NACDS) 2008 Chain Pharmacy Industry Profile, the total economic impact of retail stores with pharmacies (including front-end and pharmacy departments of chain and independent traditional drug stores, supermarkets, and mass merchandisers) reaches well beyond their $827 billion in annual sales. Based on 2007 data, an economic analysis showed that retail stores with pharmacies actually have a total annual economic impact of $2.42 trillion, or 17% of gross domestic product. The 39,000 chain pharmacies across the country dispensed more than 2.5 billion prescriptions in 2007, about 72% of the total filled in the U.S.  Overall, the retail prescription market reached nearly $260 billion last year.