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DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens' chief medical officer will discuss the evidence-based medicine design and impact of a diabetes management program delivered by pharmacists at both workplace and community pharmacies during an upcoming conference, the drug store chain said.

NEW YORK — CVS/pharmacy is encouraging African-Americans to get a seasonal flu shot as African-Americans have lower influenza and pneumococcal immunization rates, compared with the rest of the population.

CINCINNATI — Kroger's family of stores, which includes 2,468 supermarkets and multidepartment stores in 31 states under two dozen local banner names, once again has kicked off the Red Kettle campaign in support of The Salvation Army.

CINCINNATI — A 45-year Kroger veteran will retire from his post in February.

Paul Scutt, who began his career with Kroger in 1965 as a store clerk, currently serves at the retailer's SVP retail operations.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid is offering customers ways to earn money back on purchases made from Black Friday through Christmas Eve.

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Diabetica Research Solutions is spreading the word about its diabetes energy formula with a new media program that targets the New York metropolitan area.

The targeted media program for DRSI ReStore! Energy — which now is available at Duane Reade and Rite Aid pharmacies in the area — supplements the brand's national television campaign, includes high saturation local commercial spots on television and radio, and internet banner ads to appear specifically on Web pages viewed by people in New York and the surrounding area.

MINNETONKA, Minn. — UnitedHealth Group will start a program next year that it said can reduce drug costs to as low as $2 per script, the company said Tuesday.

The program, Pharmacy Saver, will be available to Medicare Part D members and is a collaboration with Kroger, Safeway and Prescription Solutions. The program will allow members to purchase some scripts for $2 for 30- and some 90-day supplies and applies to hundreds of prescription drugs, including 8-of-the-10 most commonly used by UnitedHealthcare Medicare plan members.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — This is part of the future of health care that Walgreens envisioned when it first began to make a major commitment to specialty pharmacy — it knew it could save payers and patients a whole lot of money.

(THE NEWS: Walgreens promotes big savings via monitored oncology Rx therapy. For the full story, click here)