Content about Illinois

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — H. D. Smith on Monday announced the appointment of Tim Booth to EVP, Smith Medical Partners. Smith Medical Partners is a wholly owned subsidiary of H. D. Smith focused on specialty pharmaceutical distribution and services, and is part of the newly formed H. D. Smith Specialty Solutions group.

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.

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — Aetna is offering individual health insurance plans to Costco members in California, the health insurer said.

The Costco Personal Health Insurance program includes five plans and offers broad medical benefits, dental options and a large network of doctors and hospitals. The program also is available to members of the club retailer in Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. Aetna plans to expand the program to other markets in the coming months.

ITASCA, Ill. — Supervalu's Jewel-Osco on Wednesday announced that they will celebrate Black History Month with the company's 14th annual "A Taste of Black History" program, which honors the contributions and achievements of the retailer's African-American vendor partners.

NEW YORK — While regulations for biosimilars work their way through the Food and Drug Administration, state governments are already looking at legislation concerning the substitution of biosimilars for their branded counterparts, according to a legal affairs blog focused on the FDA.

In a post Friday on FDA Law Blog, the official blog of the law firm Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, attorney Kurt Karst wrote that several states were laying the groundwork for such legislation, recalling state-level antisubstitution laws targeting generics that were adopted in the 1970s.

CHICAGO — United Airlines on Friday announced the opening of the airline’s new employee health clinic at O’Hare International Airport. The clinic, managed by Walgreens, will serve a broad scope of employees’ health needs, such as urgent care for routine illness, travel and other immunizations including flu shots, prepackaged medications, job-related physical training and pre-employment physicals, at no cost to employees. 

ATLANTA — The worst of the flu season may be over, at least for those on the East Coast. In a late morning press conference with reporters on Friday, Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said, "We are seeing a decrease in some regions." 

Just don't tell that to anyone living in New York, Boston or Chicago, at least not before slipping on a facemask first.  

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. — Egg allergies may no longer be a valid reason to not get a flu shot, the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology announced Friday. 

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Advocare Walgreens Well Network, Diagnostic Clinic Walgreens Well Network and Scott & White Walgreens Well Network have been selected as three of 106 new Accountable Care Organizations in Medicare, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Thursday.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — The CEO of Sears Holdings is stepping down due to unspecified family health reasons, the company said.

Sears, the parent company of Kmart, said Lou D'Ambrosio would step down on Feb. 2, the end of the company's fiscal year. Edward Lampert will assume the role of CEO and chairman, while D'Ambrosio will remain on the board until the company's next annual meeting, in May 2013.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens has begun promotion of its exclusive PureLife Naturals line of health supplements, a line launched in September in its weekly circulars. The line of active-ingredient formulas are blended without any artificial ingredients, colors or preservatives and ideal for the purity-conscious shopper.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Both the strong incidence of influenza and the rise in the number of flu shots administered in December positively impacted comparable prescriptions filled at Walgreens on a day-fall adjusted basis, the company reported Friday. Flu shots administered at pharmacies and clinics season-to-date were nearly 5.5 million versus approximately 5.3 million last year, the retailer noted.