In this Issue

Walgreens generated quite 
the fanfare in January when it announced free blood-pressure screenings across its pharmacies and Take Care Clinics on the “Oprah Winfrey Show.”


BETHESDA, Md. — It’s technology, and lots of it, that will be relieving the burden of caregiving for today’s sandwich generation — those baby boomers faced with caring for their senior parents while at the same time managing a teenager at home.


A new survey released last month by the National Alliance for Caregiving and UnitedHealthcare found that more than two-thirds of family caregivers are interested in technology to help them with caregiving.


As expected, advancements in technology and women’s reluctance to trade down in a segment that promises to ward off the signs of aging have spelled continued growth for anti-aging skin care products.


“Manufacturers continue to introduce new active ingredients ... while advanced anti-aging formulas are spilling over from the premium segment into the mass channel,” stated Euromonitor International in its most recent U.S. skin care report.

As photo processing continues to evolve, retailers are finding new ways to make the department profitable. Bing Liem, VP sales for Fujifilm North America, said retailers need to re-evaluate their existing on-site photo business.


“It’s critical to maximize the use of existing assets,” he said. New product offerings, such as posters, folded cards, calendars and books, help maximize the value of the category, Liem said.


SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Welcome to Louise Avenue in Sioux Falls, S.D. — the home of the “new face” of Lewis Drug.


Here within this new store, consumers will experience a larger, revamped pharmacy department with wood flooring, lifestyle images and a waiting area with televisions and refreshments. The beauty area has a more upscale look and feel, and there’s also a walk-in cooler that runs about 100 linear ft. and houses both beverages and adult beverages, including mini-kegs and chilled wine.


As soon as members of Congress took their seats last month, the new Republican majority announced it would make good on its pledge to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The effort largely is symbolic and unlikely to succeed, so at least one portion of the healthcare-reform law will likely remain in effect, namely the abbreviated approval pathway for follow-on biologics, also known as the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act.


ST. PAUL, Minn. — Convenient care industry pioneer Kevin Smith took a leap more than 10 years ago and helped create the successful nurse practitioner-staffed retail clinic concept. Today, the industry trailblazer is embarking on a new venture to further revolutionize access to health care. Enter Zipnosis.com.


LAS VEGAS — While Apple’s iPad and the long line of next-generation electronic tablets hitting the market this year may have been the “sexy” items at last month’s Consumer Electronics Show, it was the unprecedented number of healthcare-related consumer electronics that better served as a harbinger of what’s to come.