Content about Geography of Michigan

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Meijer will open two new stores in northern Indiana, the mass merchandise retailer said Wednesday.

Meijer said the stores, in Portage and Warsaw, Ind., would open on Thursday. The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based chain currently operates 32 stores around the state and more than 200 throughout the Midwest. The company said the stores would feature the chain's free prescription program, whereby it gives select drugs for free to customers with valid prescriptions, including generic versions of the cholesterol drug Lipitor (atorvastatin).

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Walgreens recently negotiated a 20-year lease agreement here for Walgreens' first university flagship location, said Joey Agree, Agree Realty president and CEO, in a conference call with analysts on Tuesday. The site will serve the University of Michigan, home to the Michigan Wolverines.

Walgreens has not yet confirmed the new site will be a prototypical flagship location, however. 

ALLEGAN, Mich. — Perrigo Co. has completed its acquisition of a Pennsylvania-based animal health company, the drug maker said Monday.

Perrigo announced that it has closed its purchase of Yardley, Pa.-based Velcera for about $160 million. The company makes OTC products for pets, specializing in products traditionally dispensed only by veterinarians. Its products include PetArmor, a flea and tick repellent that had sales of more than $100 million last year.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A weight-loss competition sponsored by mass merchandise retailer Meijer and nutritional scoring company NuVal is enlisting 60,000 team members who will compete for $15,000 in prize money over three months.

ALLEGAN, Mich. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a testosterone gel product made by Perrigo, the drug maker said Tuesday.

Perrigo announced the approval of the testosterone gel in the 1% strength for the treatment of men with low or no testosterone.

The drug is bioequivalent to AbbVie's AndroGel, which has annual sales of about $705 million, according to Symphony Health.

GEORGIA, Vt. — Perrigo Nutritionals is introducing new packaging that the company said would make providing nutrition to infants more convenient.

FLINT, Mich. — Inc. magazine has named Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy as one of the country's top 100 job creators, the privately owned company said.

FLINT, Mich. — A rapidly growing specialty pharmacy company in Michigan is about to experience another spurt.

Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy said it had an immediate need to fill 100 full-time jobs, primarily in patient care coordination, order entry and customer service, but including 10 to 15 positions in areas like nursing, five in sales and account management, and 10 to 15 in technology areas like programming, quality analysis, data modeling and data architecture.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — In what could symbolize the so-called "patent cliff" that an executive from healthcare market research firm IMS Health spoke of at a recent trade show, a regional mass merchandise chain is taking what used to be the world's top-selling drug and giving it away for free.

ALLEGAN, Mich. — Perrigo announced that it has initiated market launch and made its first shipments of minoxidil 5% foam, which is a generic version of Rogaine 5% foam hair regrowth treatment, to its retail and wholesale customers. Minoxidil 5% foam is marketed under store- or own-label brands.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Meijer's stores in Michigan will "prominently" feature 49 products made in the state as part of a program to promote local businesses, the mass merchandise retailer said.

The chain is partnering with the Michigan State University Product Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources to launch the "Made in Michigan" initiative, whereby 33 stores will feature 49 such grocery items as marinara sauce, blueberry butter, gluten-free baking mixes and gourmet seasonings in specially designated areas of the store starting on Sunday.

ALLEGAN, Mich. — Perrigo on Monday announced that it received final approval from the Food and Drug Administration for its store-brand version of Mucinex tablets.

Perrigo is still in litigation with Reckitt Benckiser involving the introduction of a private-label Mucinex. "Perrigo is working through the litigation and expects to begin shipping this product in our retail and wholesale customers' store brand packaging in the second half of our fiscal year," Perrigo chairman and CEO Joseph Papa said.