Content about Adam Fein

April 26, 2013

Pharmaceutical distribution agreements critical for Cardinal, McKesson

Cardinal Health announced the renewal of its pharmaceutical distribution agreement with CVS Caremark to supply pharmaceuticals to the company’s retail pharmacies and distribution centers, as McKesson, which generally serves the PBM side of the business, also announced the renewal of its current distribution agreement with the pharmacy retailer.

The renewal of the agreements was not only critical for both companies but, as Adam Fein, president of Pembroke Consulting and CEO of Drug Channels Institute, wrote in his blog “CVS Caremark Renews with Cardinal and McKesson,” it also “demonstrates wholesalers' value in the brand-name pharmacy supply chain.”

March 22, 2013

Walgreens, Alliance Boots and AmerisourceBergen help redefine economies of scale

Walgreens and Alliance Boots entered into a 10-year contract with wholesaler AmerisourceBergen on sourcing pharmaceuticals last week. But that's not all. Besides the long-term contract, Walgreens and Alliance Boots will have the option on a potential 23% equity stake in ABC in three years.

The deal takes pharmaceutical buying leverage to the stratosphere and changes the face of more than one health service industry. As Adam Fein, president of Pembroke Consulting, noted in a live television interview on Fox Business' "Money With Melissa Francis": "Three of the largest companies in the pharmaceutical industry have come together and built the single largest buyer of prescription drugs in the world," he said.

January 18, 2013

Costco launches PBM

Costco has entered the pharmacy benefit management business, according to published reports.

NEW YORK — Costco has entered the pharmacy benefit management business, according to published reports.

In an article in the January 2013 issue of Costco Connection magazine, the club warehouse retailer is promoting the new PBM, Costco Health Solutions, to small business owners. Pharmaceutical industry consultant Adam Fein noted on his blog, Drug Channels, that Costco was seeking to emulate the tactics already used by CVS Caremark, Walgreens and Walmart to drive prescription growth.

January 18, 2013

Costco's new PBM: It's all about differentiation

Costco announced in its January 2013 magazine that it would begin offering pharmacy benefit management services, targeting small businesses and highlighting a 200-employee company based in Washington state.

It remains to be seen whether the club retailer's efforts to compete with the existing PBM businesses of companies like CVS Caremark, Walgreens and Walmart will be successful, and analysts like Citi's Deborah Weinswig appear skeptical that they will. But whatever the outcome, it's clear that Costco is looking to compete in a bigger way.

July 9, 2012

Walgreens-USA Drug deal: Narrow networks making local marketshare battles key

Narrow networks. They're all the rage.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — Narrow networks. They're all the rage. If nothing else, narrow pharmacy benefit management networks emphasize local; and one analysis thread common among all the pundits discussing Walgreens' recent acquisition of USA Drug is that Walgreens just got a whole lot more local across the Southeast.

May 15, 2012

Report: Cardinal Health acquires wholesaler Dik Drug

Cardinal Health has acquired regional wholesaler Dik Drug for an undisclosed price, according to published reports.

DUBLIN, Ohio — Cardinal Health has acquired regional wholesaler Dik Drug for an undisclosed price, according to published reports.

Dik Drug was founded in 1914 as a small repackaging distributorship that serviced the Chicago area. According to the company's website, Dik Drug warehouses more than 20,000 products.

March 23, 2012

Walgreens, Rite Aid nuptials not likely, but it sure makes for a compelling twist

Former Walgreens' CEO Jeff Rein said profit pressure might cause Walgreens to think differently about acquisitions than it did in the past.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — Former Walgreens' CEO Jeff Rein said profit pressure might cause Walgreens to think differently about acquisitions than it did in the past. The loss of Express Scripts patients (who are incidentally taking their prescriptions to the nearest Walgreens competitor), coupled with a significant generic wave through 2012 — moreso in the back half of the year — potentially could keep Walgreens from posting a profit through fiscal 2012. "Walgreens is in a real poor position here," Rein said.

July 25, 2011

Does ESI need Medco deal to happen? It sure looks like it

In his July 20 letter to benefit consultants, Walgreens president of pharmacy, health and wellness Kermit Crawford made a direct appeal to plan sponsors to either “select a PBM that includes Walgreens” or consider “direct arrangements with plans currently using Express Scripts, to the extent permitted by their contracts.” The letter also included an attached “template agreement that can be used to implement such direct arrangements where permitted,” for consideration.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — In his July 20 letter to benefit consultants, Walgreens president of pharmacy, health and wellness Kermit Crawford made a direct appeal to plan sponsors to either “select a PBM that includes Walgreens” or consider “direct arrangements with plans currently using Express Scripts, to the extent permitted by their contracts.” The letter also included an attached “template agreement that can be used to implement such direct arrangements where permitted,” for consideration.

December 7, 2010

Cardinal diversifies  with Kinray deal

 DUBLIN, Ohio — Say goodbye to Kinray, the service-obsessed regional drug wholesaler. But say hello to a more muscular and diversified Cardinal Health. 

The wholesale and health services giant announced Nov. 18 it will buy Kinray for $1.3 billion. The buyout, set for completion in early 2011, will be a boon to Cardinal, boosting its customer base to more than 7,000 independent drug stores, extending its reach in the Northeast and adding scale versus its wholesale rivals, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen. 

September 17, 2009

Baucus bill a mixed bag for pharmacy

Question: What piece of compromise legislation proposes to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system at a...

NEW YORK Question: What piece of compromise legislation proposes to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system at a price tag of $856 billion and promises to address both the unsustainable costs of that system and the crisis of uninsured and under-insured Americans – while failing to fully satisfy almost everyone involved in the health reform debate?