In this Issue

As prescription volume increases, one of the hottest areas of pharmacy technology in recent years has been solutions for the will-call process, and RxMedic is looking to stay on the forefront of will-call solutions with its Automated Retrieval System, or ARS. The company also is working to provide dispensing and storage solutions that can adapt to reduce downtime for calibration and maintenance.

Johnson & Johnson’s president of health and wellness solutions Len Greer

The main focus for Johnson & Johnson’s health and wellness solutions president Len Greer is getting patients motivated to improve overall health outcomes. Aside from the company’s partnership with IBM Watson, Greer said Johnson & Johnson is undertaking efforts to apply behavioral science in such disease states as diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease to improve patient health.

Between its recently announced partnership with IMA North America and its Pharmacy Operations Symposium, held in April in concert with Binghamton University’s Watson Institute for Systems Excellence (WISE) — Innovation has had a busy year. And according to EVP global business development Doyle Jensen, there are numerous new projects that are ongoing at Innovation, as the company is expanding its solutions to help increase pharmacy efficiency, accuracy and inventory management.

Kimberly-Clark’s Liz Metz (center)

The first step to making an impact in a customer’s life, according to Kimberly-Clark’s senior director of shopper engagement Liz Metz, is understanding what they want from their shopping experience.

Consumers with diabetes spend 35% more on OTC products than the average consumer, noted Jeff Gregori, group VP consumer and shopper analytics for Nielsen, during a recent presentation at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Total Store Expo. “That’s hands down more than any other ailment,” he said, and it’s because they face so many challenges beyond their initial diagnosis.

As the company behind Purell hand sanitizer, Gojo’s “big, hairy, audacious goal,” as described by the company’s VP hygiene sciences and public health advancements Jim Arbogast, is to “bring well-being to 1 billion people every day.” And the company’s strategy for how retailers can help with that goal is based on extensive research Gojo has done about how best to provide hand hygiene touchpoints.

Pharmacy and food retailers take note: As health-and-wellness consumers, Americans need you now more than ever. That was the message from health economist and futurist Jane Sarasohn-Kahn at a June 15 seminar on retail health care, the aging population and new trends impacting health delivery. The event, held in Bentonville, Ark., and co-hosted by Drug Store News and Mack Elevation Forum, gave retail leaders, health stakeholders and other experts a rare opportunity to explore the major trends driving the retail health movement.

Quest Products is looking to break onto the external analgesic scene with CopperFixx, a balm that combines the analgesic properties associated with copper and arnica. “Copper has always been known to help relieve the aches and pains of certain afflictions,” said Don Ryan, president and CEO of Quest Products. “Until now, no one had figured out how to produce it in a consumer-friendly form.”