Opinion



Last month, the American Journal of Managed Care published a review of more than 40 years worth of studies from various medical journals that demonstrated that the best way to improve adherence is to get patients to talk to the store pharmacist; the second-best way is to get them to talk to a nurse before they leave the hospital.


We’re making big changes around here in 2011 — and we’re doing it because you told us to.


Whenever we ask one of our readers what they want from Drug Store News, inevitably, the answer always is: “Tell me something I don’t already know about.”


That’s the problem with most trade magazines today — by the time you get the issue, it’s all old news; often more than a month old by the time it lands on your desk. 


I was born the day after Thanksgiving. My mom tells me I wanted out the second I smelled the food. This has always been a special time of year for me—it’s in my blood.

I have a lot to be thankful for these days. One-in-10 Americans are out of work, and many have been for more than a year. As I write this, people in Haiti’s tent cities are reluctant to take shelter from Hurricane Tomas for fear they might again lose everything; whatever they had left was in those tents.

As this issue went to press, it sure had been a busy week here at Drug Store News. And that means it was a busy week for the industry, too.

Your company’s ideas may be as valuable as your products.

Many of today’s most relevant and distinct brands, such as Oakley sunglasses, Under Armour, Axe, Aveeno, Apple, Method, Stonyfield yogurt and Whole Foods, have one thing in common: Each of these brands may not be the largest in its category, but it is the best at creating emotional connections with its core consumer. They are brands that are well positioned in the consumer’s mind and supported by an array of corporate assets—many of them intangible. What is their secret?

Stuffing the last of my sweaty clothes into my bag, the peace and tranquility of my “killer” 90-minute chest/ abs workout was instantly shattered by the sound of the blowhard holding court in the far corner of the locker room. A real “mook,” as we would call him in my family.

As I write this column, it’s the final Super Tuesday primaries in eight states, including here in New York, before the big mid-term elections in November. And if the Sunday morning news shows are right, the Democrats are in for a spanking. Given the present state of the economy, the stagnant job market and the American electorate’s need to find someone to blame, it’s really kind of inevitable.

A certain literary hero of mine might have called it “Fear and Loathing in San Diego.” Stranded at the airport bar for the better part of nine hours while JetBlue drove down a new part from Los Angeles International Airport for our plane’s public address system—without which Flight 188 to New York’s John F.