In this Issue

One disconnect Bausch + Lomb’s John Ferris sees in the conversation about health care is the relative lack of attention paid to eye health — even though age-related macular degeneration affects two-and-a-half times more people than Alzheimer’s disease, and baby boomers are as concerned about vision loss as contracting heart disease and cancer.

The front-end opportunity surrounding patients with diabetes is significant. Diabetes patients are spending between $1,000 and $2,500 each year on diabetes supplies alone, noted Sally Manoufar, senior manager health and wellness at Johnson & Johnson, during a recent GMDC webcast. According to Johnson & Johnson research, the front-end basket of a diabetes patient is five times larger than that of a patient who doesn’t have diabetes.

Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare manufactures more than 5,000 products — most of which consumers haven’t heard of or thought of as part of the DME portfolio. And according to SVP product management David Cohon, the main task that specialty DME stores have — and the task that presents the most opportunity in the omnichannel retail space — is providing a knowledge resource at the point-of-sale.

“We are on the verge of an economic crisis that could disrupt the whole U.S. healthcare system.” Our lack of preventive health care — and the implications of that — was a theme conveyed by numerous economists, healthcare entrepreneurs and technology experts gathered at a special thought leadership event co-produced by Mack Elevation and Drug Store News.

Pfizer’s Nexium 24HR is the clear leader in the digestive aisle. However, in March 2017, store-brand versions of Nexium 24HR will be available. Perrigo has already secured a tentative approval from the Food and Drug Administration for its OTC Nexium 24HR generic equivalent. “We are currently working with our retail customers in making plans to launch the item as soon as possible after the late March 2017 market exclusivity period expires for the national brand,” John Henderickson, Perrigo president and CEO, recently told investors.

One of the biggest impacts of technology among a potentially unexpected group of consumers is its ability to empower baby boomers to be independent for longer, according to Pfizer Consumer Healthcare senior director disruptive innovation wellness Rimma Fehling. Baby boomers are becoming the beneficiaries of extended independence as the result of technological advances that can cover physical distance with technological solutions.

How can pharmacy retailers and their vendor partners help make health care more accountable, accessible and cost-effective? And what role can they play to help their customers to lead longer, healthier lives?

The use of homeopathic medicines as part of a self-care solution to treat such ailments as the common cold or back pain is becoming more and more commonplace through conventional channels. While a Harvard survey on the use of homeopathy published earlier this year in the American Journal of Public Health revealed that only 2.1% of U.S. adults have used homeopathy in the past 12 months, conventional outlets including Walmart, CVS Health and Rite Aid command 86.5% of the homeopathic dollar share, according to SPINSscan (powered by IRI).