CVS Health Corp. and Target Corp. said on Monday that they have reached an agreement for CVS Health to purchase Target’s pharmacies and clinics for approximately $1.9 billion.Once the deal is finalized, Target’s more than 1,660 pharmacies across 47 states will be rebranded as CVS/pharmacies, operating within Target stores; Target's approximately 80 clinics will be rebranded as MinuteClinics. Read More »

Cerner announced Monday it will enter a collaboration with Vectramind Corp. of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to develop a mobile messaging platform for its clients. Read More »

A letter signed by more than 20 Democratic lawmakers, calling for black box labels to be put on immediate-release (IR) opioids, has been sent to acting FDA commissioner Stephen Ostroff. Read More »

China-based China Jo-Jo Drugstores, Inc. said last week it saw a significant increase in annual sales from its online pharmacy.The retail and wholesale distributor of pharmaceutical and health care products said June 11 that preliminary data showed online sales grew at least 90 percent over the past year, with an over 200 percent jump in the year ending March 31. Read More »

Former Prime Therapeutics CEO named non-executive chairman. Read More »

The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) released a new ad campaign that highlights how specialty physicians believe that not all pharmacies are capable of dispensing and administering specialty medication to treat chronic conditions. The ad, “I’m Not Willing to Send my Patients to Just Any Pharmacy” can be viewed on the PCMA website: www.pcmanet.org. Read More »

URAC accreditation process serves as a basis to improve business processes Read More »

Pharmaceutical groups recently held elections for leadership positions. Read More »

Diplomat Pharmacy said on Friday that it has received Preferred Specialty Pharmacy Vendor status from the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) "We are honored to be named a Preferred Vendor to ACAP," Atheer Kaddis, senior vice president for sales and business development at Diplomat, said. "Our focus on education, adherence efforts and helping manage costs of our patients makes Diplomat an ideal fit for ACAP's plans and the individuals they serve." Read More »

Tim Wentworth, president of company, joins board of directors. Read More »

The nonprofit group Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH) released its fourth annual employer survey on specialty drug management on June 9. The survey indicated that although most employers who participated in the survey still utilized copays and coinsurance, many are open to trying new ways to manage the cost of specialty drugs. Read More »

The Business Council of New York State says proposed state legislation would limit pharmacy mail order options for health insurance purchasers. Read More »

Bayer AG has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Bayer Diabetes Care (BDC) business to Panasonic Healthcare Holdings Co. Ltd. (KKR). Read More »

Walgreens on Monday launched its app for Apple Watch that helps remind people to take medications as prescribed through the features Pill Reminder and Refill Reminder. Read More »

Medical Specialist’s NHS Online Pharmacy is encouraging men in England and Wales to participate in this year’s annual Men’s Health Week starting Monday. Read More »

Walgreens on Wednesday announced an expansion of its telehealth platform, in collaboration with telehealth services provider MDLIVE, to users in Colorado, Illinois and Washington. Read More »

Bucking the trend of other industries in a slow economy, the pharmacy business in New York state is thriving across the board, according to a new American Pharmacy News analysis. The number of pharmacies and pharmacists in New York has increased by double-digit percentages over the past six years, according to the analysis, which relied on state records. Read More »

The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP) will hold a training and preparation session July 31 to Aug. 1 in Linthicum Heights, Maryland.The session, called the Certified Geriatric Pharmacist (CGP) Exam Preparation and Recertification Boot Camp, will provide workshop-style training for pharmacists hoping to obtain board certification or to earn recertification credits. Read More »

The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) brought together health care leaders for a two-day conference in Alexandria, Virginia, this week to discuss issues pertaining to market readiness, acceptance and use of biosimilars. Biosimilars consist of living molecules that are versions of biological therapies. Read More »

Parata Systems, in coordination with Pharmacy Times, has announced that they have chosen the finalists for the 2015 Next-Generation Pharmacist awards. Read More »