INSIGHTS AND PERSPECTIVES

It’s one thing to say food retailers are boosting their commitments to health and wellness. It’s another to actually crunch the numbers and understand how this is playing out.

A recently released report does just that by quantifying the growing retailer involvement in clinics, community health partnerships, consumer education, and other areas.

You’re pretty proud of where you went to high school — some would say fanatical. Where did you go, and why does it matter? I graduated from Xavier High School, here, in New York City. We call ourselves “Sons of Xavier,” and for me that always meant more than just words etched on a plaque on a wall.

While an insurance card contains a lot of information and is an important part of the pharmacy transaction, there are times when it doesn’t tell the whole story.

The insurance card indicates only the current plan covering the patient. What it cannot tell the pharmacist is whether or not there is additional coverage, or what specific type of coverage the patient has. Even when the pharmacy sends the claim to be adjudicated by the plan, the messaging returned does not indicate if the coverage is for a commercial or government plan, such as Managed Medicaid.

Generic medications made up 89% of dispensed U.S. prescriptions in 2016, but only 26% of total drug costs. The use of generics brought savings of $253 billion in 2016, bringing the 10-year savings from generics to $1.67 trillion, according to the ninth annual “Generic Access and Savings in the U.S.” report compiled by the QuintilesIMS Institute for the Association for Accessible Medicines (formerly the Generic Pharmaceutical Association).

In newspaper ads placed in selected Congressional districts this August, NACDS is thanking members of the U.S. House of Representatives for co-sponsoring the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act (H.R. 592/S. 109). NACDS also is urging the members of Congress to work toward ultimate passage and enactment of the legislation.

The average household spends $3,400 on packaged goods, but the average grocery banner only captures as much as 20% of that, according to a recent IRI report. “With the overall market not growing, retailers and manufacturers need to find new sources of growth by capturing a bigger piece of the existing pie,” wrote Web Fletcher, principal at IRI Shopper Analytics and lead author of IRI’s “Delivering Growth Through High-Value Customers” research, which was published in July.

Drug Store News recently spoke with Phillip Dritsas, SVP and general manager, consumer division and specialty markets for Mission Pharmacal, about the opportunities for Dr. Smith’s products in both the baby and adult categories.

DSN: Can you tell us more about trends in both ends of the baby and adult category?

While consumers may be growing more health-conscious with their food choices, it seems there is still room for life’s little indulgences. According to new international research on snacking motivation from Mintel, Americans cited treating themselves as the top reason to snack (50%), and more than one-quarter (28%) agreed that taste is more important than health when choosing a snack.