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.