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NANTUCKET, Mass. — Walgreens CFO Wade Miquelon said that the chain's decision to break its ties with pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts was the best decision, according to a Reuters report.

Caling it a "principled stand," Miquelon, who spoke at the Jefferies 2011 Global Consumer Conference in Nantucket, Mass., on Thursday, said that "under any scenario of what Express Scripts is proposing ... it's much better for us to go it alone," Reuters reported.

WASHINGTON — Walmart announced that it has launched a $25 million giving campaign aimed at filling the gaps created when schools close for the summer through its charitable arm, the Walmart Foundation.

Funding to more than 350 local nonprofit organizations will help expand nutrition, learning and employment services for elementary, middle and high school students throughout the 2011 summer months, the company reported.

Walmart said it would address the achievement gap between higher- and lower-income youth by focusing on three key areas:

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Sales may have been flat overall, but a closer look revealed there was a lot to be positive about in Rite Aid’s fiscal first quarter 2012 earnings, as the company managed significant expense improvement and stronger same-store sales growth. Bottom line: Rite Aid narrowed its losses considerably, and that ain’t all expense control.

ST. LOUIS — After Walgreens made its contract dispute with Express Scripts public on Tuesday morning, the pharmacy benefit manager stated it is open to continued negotiations with Walgreens.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy is further expanding the benefits for its more than 8 million ExtraCare Beauty Club members with the introduction of the "Beauty Board," a panel of beauty and style experts who will provide interactive content and advice for the CVS Beauty Club Facebook page.

The ExtraCare Beauty Club, which launched in January, is an extension of the CVS/pharmacy ExtraCare Rewards program and provides members with additional rewards on beauty purchases and other beauty-specific benefits. The Beauty Board members include:

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens has teamed with Greater Than AIDS, a national campaign in response to HIV/AIDS in the United States, to distribute informational resources and specialized HIV-related services at more than 300 Walgreens pharmacies in heavily affected communities, the Kaiser Family Foundation announced Tuesday. 

KINGSTON, Pa. — Rep. Tom Marino, R-Pa., on Monday propositioned a bill that would allow independent drug stores to band together in an effort to increase their collective pharmaceutical buying power.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Tuesday announced the company no longer will participate in the Express Scripts network beginning Jan. 1, 2012, citing unsuccessful renewal negotiations.