WALGREENS

Will the merger of Express Scripts and Medco go through? Not if pharmacy lobbyists can stop it. There’s nothing new about the fact that different industry groups connected with retail pharmacy or health care can hold strongly opposing views about what’s good or profitable for their own members. But for undisguised hostility and tit-for-tat charges and countercharges, nothing comes close to the long-running feud between independent pharmacy and the pharmacy benefits management industry.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Monday announced its acquisition of the prescription files and inventory from 33 Kmart pharmacies in 16 states.

Walgreens will purchase the pharmacy patient files and transfer them to nearby Walgreens pharmacies, the company stated.

Walgreens completed the acquisition of the first pharmacy's prescription files and inventory Jan. 27 in Rice Lake, Wis. Acquisition of the other Kmart prescription files and inventory is subject to certain customary terms and conditions, and is anticipated to happen throughout February.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Monday evening named 25-year veteran Robyn Peters group VP managed market sales, where she will lead all sales and account management activities in the company’s employer, health systems, health plans, government and small and individual payer segments, along with client retention, expansion programs and sales operations for Walgreens. Peters will report to Jeff Berkowitz, Walgreens SVP pharmaceutical development and market access.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — Within the first week of 2012, Walgreens signed 125,000 patients to its Prescription Savings Club. By the second week, that number had blossomed to 200,000 patients and subsequently exploded to 500,000 new signees by the middle of week No. 4. You don't need a math whiz with a degree in economics to chart the direction this is headed.

NEW YORK — Walgreens and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation on Thursday jointly announced that Walgreens' community-based programs helped raise more than $1.4 million in 2011 for JDRF causes. The year marked the 20th anniversary of Walgreens' partnership with JDRF to raise funds for research to put an end to Type 1 diabetes.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Stat Health Services on Wednesday named Jeffrey Rein, former chairman and CEO of Walgreens, to the company's board of directors.

FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Acadia Healthcare on Wednesday announced that it has named Walgreens veteran Wade Miquelon to its board of directors.

"Wade Miquelon brings tremendous expertise in a range of disciplines to Acadia, as well as valuable perspectives from his work with both large established companies and young growth companies," stated Joey Jacobs, Acadia chairman and CEO. "We welcome Wade to the board, confident of his ability to contribute to the company's long-term growth in earnings and shareholder value."

DEERFIELD, Ill. — In its battle with Express Scripts, Walgreens is not only seeking to retain that prescription base payer by payer, but also patient by patient, as evidenced by the more than 500,000 customers who have taken advantage of Walgreens' Prescription Savings Club since Jan. 1, according to company officials.