Content about Canada

May 9, 2013

Similasan recently added three heavy hitters to its team, including Haley Ball as product manager, Dora Newlin as director of marketing and Kim Stark, who will direct Similasan's quality assurance and regulatory initiatives.

HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. — Similasan recently added three heavy hitters to its team, including Haley Ball as product manager, Dora Newlin as director of marketing and Kim Stark, who will direct Similasan's quality assurance and regulatory initiatives.

In addition to managing the Similasan brand across the United States and Canada, Ball works as the social media community manager for Similasan USA. Prior, she worked as market category manager for Coca-Cola.

May 7, 2013

Pharmasave Drugs appoints Carmen Churcott as CEO

Pharmasave Drugs, which has more than 400 independently operated community pharmacy locations in nine provinces, has appointed Carmen Churcott as CEO.

LANGLEY, British Columbia — Pharmasave Drugs, which has more than 475 community retail pharmacies across Canada, has appointed Carmen Churcott as CEO, effective May 1.

April 25, 2013

UPDATE: Shoppers Drug Mart sees boost in Q1 sales

TORONTO — Shoppers Drug Mart announced on Thursday that first quarter sales rose 3.8% thanks to strong volume in pharmacy and continued sales and market share gains at the front end. The company also indicated that it remains on the acquisition track and is "carefully" watching as Target bolsters its presence in Canada.

April 22, 2013

NACDS Foundation announces five new board members

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation announced the election of five new members to its board of directors.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Today, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation announced the election of five new members to its board of directors. Victor Curtis, SVP pharmacy of Costco Wholesale; Jon Giacomin, president of U.S. pharmaceutical distribution for the pharmaceutical group of Cardinal Health; John Poulin, director of professional relations of Lilly USA; Todd Tillemans, president of customer development at Unilever; and Richard Tremonte, VP sales and marketing of the U.S.

April 19, 2013

Panel advocates letting Canadian pharmacists prescribe some drugs

A new action plan and panel discussion aim to improve Canada's healthcare system and save $8.5 billion to $11 billion over three years at various levels of government.

TORONTO — A new action plan and panel discussion aim to improve Canada's healthcare system and save $8.5 billion to $11 billion over three years at various levels of government.

The plan, "9,000 Points of Care: Improving Access to Affordable Healthcare," outlines five initiatives, including allowing pharmacists to administer vaccines and prescribe medications for minor ailments. The title refers to the number of community pharmacies in Canada.

April 18, 2013

Michel Coutu resigns from Rite Aid board

Rite Aid board member Michel Coutu has resigned, effective Wednesday, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

NEW YORK — Rite Aid board member Michel Coutu has resigned, effective Wednesday, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Coutu's notification follows an announcement by The Jean Coutu Group Tuesday that it had sold 72.5 million Rite Aid shares, reducing its stake in the company to 11.7%.

In addition, board member and former chairman Mary Sammons notified the company Wednesday that she wouldn't seek reelection as a director at its annual shareholder meeting.

April 16, 2013

Jean Coutu Group sells 72.5 million shares of Rite Aid stock

The Jean Coutu Group sold 72.5 million of its 178.4 million shares of Rite Aid stock, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Monday and company announcement Tuesday.

NEW YORK — The Jean Coutu Group sold 72.5 million of its 178.4 million shares of Rite Aid stock, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Monday and company announcement Tuesday.

The Canadian retail pharmacy group said it sold the shares for $158.5 million and would record a gain of $49.7 million in its net profit during first quarter 2014. The sale brings Jean Coutu's stake in Rite Aid down to 11.7%, the company said.

March 8, 2013

Reinventing Rexall Pharma Plus

It has been just over a year since Frank Scorpiniti took the helm at Canada's Rexall Pharma Plus. And, as the Canadian retail market continues to heat up, the company has officially taken the lid off a reinvention of its business, from its stores and its brand, to the products and services in its stores.

March 5, 2013

GMDC names new board members

The Global Market Development Center on Friday announced five new member representatives to its board for a two-year term.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Global Market Development Center on Friday announced five new member representatives to its board for a two-year term.

As of Jan. 1, 2013, newly elected board officers include GMDC chairman Bill Anderson, group VP of drug store, beauty, general merchandise, floral and services for H-E-B; GMDC vice-chairman Dewayne Rabon, VP general merchandise/HBC/family care for BI-LO/Winn-Dixie; and GMDC secretary/treasurer Steve Davis, director of center store, GM/HBC and grocery nonfoods at Weis Markets.

March 4, 2013

Target to soft-open first three Canadian stores

Target will open its first locations in Canada on Tuesday, the mass-merchandise retailer said.

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — Target will open its first locations in Canada on Tuesday, the mass merchandise retailer said.

February 27, 2013

Target Canada rollout to be bigger than any annual U.S. rollout to date

Target is planning a rollout in Canada that will be bigger than any single year's worth of its store openings in the United States ever, executives of the company said Wednesday morning in a call with Wall Street analysts to discuss the mass merchandise retailer's fourth-quarter and full-year 2012 results.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target is planning a rollout in Canada that will be bigger than any single year's worth of its store openings in the United States ever, executives of the company said Wednesday morning in a call with Wall Street analysts to discuss the mass merchandise retailer's fourth-quarter and full-year 2012 results.

February 26, 2013

Safeway pharmacists bridge another gap in care

All over the United States and Canada, retail pharmacy innovators keep stepping up to fill in more of the gaps that separate people from quality, proactive resources for health, wellness and preventive care.

One of the latest examples is Pleasanton, Calif.-based Safeway. In a new and groundbreaking alliance with the University of California San Francisco School of Pharmacy, the 1,641-store supermarket and pharmacy megachain has kicked off a long-term campaign to help its customers quit smoking. As reported by Drug Store News’ Alaric DeArment, Safeway pharmacists will deliver the program, which was developed by UCSF pharmacy school faculty, after being schooled in smoking-cessation counseling techniques.

February 22, 2013

Harris Teeter elects Sunrise Senior Living CEO to board

Harris Teeter Supermarkets elected Mark Ordan to its board at its annual shareholders meeting.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Harris Teeter Supermarkets on Thursday elected Mark Ordan to its board at its annual shareholders meeting.

Ordan is CEO of Sunrise Senior Living, a provider of senior living services in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Ordan has also held senior executive positions at a number of companies in the real estate, food service and supermarket industries.

The company also announced that its board declared a quarterly dividend in the amount of $0.15 per share, to be paid on April 1, 2013 to shareholders of record on March 8, 2013.

February 13, 2013

Vichy introduces new products to Neovadiol range

Slated to hit the U.S. retail market in April is the new Neovadiol range from Vichy Laboratoires, a leading pharmacy skin care line for the signs of hormonal aging.

NEW YORK — Slated to hit the U.S. retail market in April is the new Neovadiol range from Vichy Laboratoires, a leading pharmacy skin care line for the signs of hormonal aging in Europe and Canada.

The new Neovadiol Gf Lip & Eye Contours and Neovadiol Lumiere BB Cream complete the range, which already includes day and night creams. The Neovadiol range was developed in consultation with experts like dermatologists, obstetricians, gynecologists and psychologists.

February 7, 2013

Patient follow-up could reduce complications with medication side effects, study finds

Researchers in Canada found that pharmacists who call their patients after a prescription has been filled can help reduce and manage adverse drug reactions for those patients.

QUEBEC — Researchers in Canada found that pharmacists who call their patients after a prescription has been filled can help reduce and manage adverse drug reactions for those patients.

The researchers used automated calls to follow-up with 629 patients at family practices in Quebec three days and then again 17 days after a presciption was filled with four simple "yes-or-no" questions.

February 4, 2013

Katz Group Canada appoints Sharon Driscoll as EVP, CFO

The company that operates Canada's Rexall and Rexall Pharma Plus retail pharmacy chains has hired on a former Sears Canada executive.

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — The company that operates Canada's Rexall and Rexall Pharma Plus retail pharmacy chains has hired on a former Sears Canada executive.

Katz Group Canada announced Monday the appointment of Sharon Driscoll as EVP and CFO.

February 1, 2013

Magnacca promoted to Walgreens EVP post

Walgreens promoted Joseph Magnacca to EVP from SVP, effective immediately. Magnacca also retains his title as president of daily living products and solutions.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Friday promoted Joseph Magnacca to EVP from SVP, effective immediately. Magnacca also retains his title as president of daily living products and solutions.

January 30, 2013

Penniless: Most Canadian retailers ready for phase-out of 1-cent coins, retailing group says

Most retailers in Canada are ready for a phase-out of 1-cent coins, a national retailing trade group said Wednesday.

TORONTO — Most retailers in Canada are ready for a phase-out of 1-cent coins, a national retailing trade group said Wednesday.

The Retail Council of Canada said the majority of the country's retail businesses were prepared for the disappearance of the penny and will follow the government's proposals for determining prices.

January 14, 2013

U.S., Canadian health authorities report spot shortages of Tamiflu

As if the reported spot shortages of flu vaccine aren't bad enough, there have been reports of similar shortages of flu drugs throughout the United States and parts of Canada due to increased demand.

December 18, 2012

Dr. Fresh acquires Reach brand manual toothbrushes

Dr. Fresh, a designer and marketer of oral care products, has acquired the Reach brand of manual toothbrushes from the Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products Division of McNeil-PPC.

BUENA PARK, Calif. — Dr. Fresh, a designer and marketer of oral care products, has acquired the Reach brand of manual toothbrushes from the Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products Division of McNeil-PPC.

The sale includes rights in the United States, its territories, the Caribbean and Canada. The acquisition does not include Reach-brand floss or other interdental products. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

December 10, 2012

FDA grants Astellas NDA for tacrolimus extended-release capsules

Astellas Pharma US has announced the Food and Drug Administration's approval to review the new drug application for tacrolimus extended-release capsules.

NORTHBROOK, Ill. — Astellas Pharma US announced the Food and Drug Administration's review of their new drug application for tacrolimus extended-release capsules, a once-daily formulation of the calcineurin-inhibitor immunosuppressant tacrolimus, for the prophylaxis of organ rejection in adult kidney transplant recipients and adult male liver transplant recipients.

November 27, 2012

Target holiday tour across Canada heralds planned store openings

Target will sponsor a tour across Canada that will visit more than 20 communities ahead of the planned opening of its stores in the country, the mass-merchandise retailer said Tuesday.

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — Target will sponsor a tour across Canada that will visit more than 20 communities ahead of the planned opening of its stores in the country, the mass-merchandise retailer said Tuesday.

The tour will start in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and conclude in British Columbia in the middle of December. Target plans to open 124 stores in Canada starting in March and April 2013.

November 20, 2012

Reports: Canada to allow generic OxyContin approval over provincial, tribal objections

Canadian regulators have allowed the approval process for a generic opioid painkiller to go forward despite objections from provincial and other authorities, according to published reports.

NEW YORK — Canada's federal government has allowed the approval process for a generic opioid painkiller to go forward despite objections from provincial and other authorities, according to published reports.

The Associated Press reported that Canadian health minister Leona Aglukkaq turned down requests from provincial and aboriginal tribal authorities to delay approval of a generic version of Purdue Pharma's OxyContin (oxycodone). OxyContin will lose its patent protection in Canada on Sunday.

November 13, 2012

Study finds fourfold increase in OxyContin prescriptions dispensed near U.S.-Canada border tunnel

The launch of a tamper-resistant formulation of a popular opioid painkiller in the United States, but not in Canada, may have influenced a spike in dispensing rate of the original at pharmacies in Canadian border cities, according to a study.

NEW YORK — The launch of a tamper-resistant formulation of a popular opioid painkiller in the United States, but not in Canada, may have influenced a spike in dispensing rate of the original at pharmacies in Canadian border cities, according to a study.

November 13, 2012

Towers Watson names Loblaw Companies preferred pharmacy for Towers Watson Canadian Rx Coalition

Towers Watson on Tuesday announced that it has selected Loblaw Companies as the preferred pharmacy services provider for its Towers Watson Canadian Rx Coalition, a collaborative network of private sector drug plan sponsors.

TORONTO — Towers Watson on Tuesday announced that it has selected Loblaw Companies as the preferred pharmacy services provider for its Towers Watson Canadian Rx Coalition, a collaborative network of private sector drug plan sponsors.

The arrangement with Loblaw is expected to improve employers' ability to offer their employees access to a robust range of drug store health resources and support overall health and wellness needs while enabling long-term sustainability of their benefits programs in the face of rising costs.