Content about Insights and Perspectives

NEW YORK For all the good that associations like the Council for Responsible Nutrition and the Natural Products Association have done in rooting any discussion around supplements in sound science, there always seems to be these somewhat faulty meta-analyses that serve as an undercurrent to that sound science.

NEW YORK A whole slew of health policy-makers, health-reform advocates, federal and state lawmakers, budget hawks and healthcare stakeholders — not to mention the Obama administration and the managed care industry — are desperately searching for ways to cut out-of-control healthcare spending and rein in the spiraling national deficit. But one of the biggest potential levers for curbing healthcare spending doesn’t seem to be getting the attention it deserves.

NEW YORK In a nutshell, this program gives any legislative body — state or local — debating around whether a prescription ought to be required in the purchase of a pseudoephedrine product one less reason to pull the trigger on that decision. And it’s a pretty big reason. Before, the argument could be made that implementing a program like NPLEx was prohibitive because of the associated cost.

NEW YORK What it means is a stronger dietary supplement industry sans criticism that the industry is rampant with hucksters trying to talk consumers into the miracle cure du jour. Why it’s important: Well, the industry generates some $6 billion in mass channel sales (food, drug and mass, including Walmart), up 7%, according to Nielsen data, and the more confidence consumers have in this category, the more likely they are to buy.

NEW YORK Whether it is through its Maintenance Choice program, the MinuteClinic business or its ExtraCare Health card offering, CVS Caremark has been loud and clear in its mission to lower healthcare costs and improve patient outcomes. Now, the pharmacy healthcare provider is going one step further through a new partnership with Generation Health.

NEW YORK Like their chain pharmacy counterparts, the people who own and operate their own single-store or small-chain drug stores — as well as the advocacy groups that lobby on their behalf — are keeping close tabs on the progress of the various health-reform bills moving through the U.S. Senate and House. They should.

NEW YORK This kind of news is more notable for what it doesn’t mean than what it means. And what it doesn’t mean is good news for the dietary supplement industry, because what it doesn’t mean is the industry is “unregulated,” or even “loosely regulated,” for those of you keeping track of how often reporters on some of the major dailies get it wrong.

NEW YORK Divesting itself of its West Coast store base certainly would place Rite Aid in a much more favorable position with regard to its debt load, merchandising and marketing synergies and supply chain efficiencies. So why not divest?

NEW YORK Economic recessions cause hardship to a lot of people, but it’s also during downturns that a lot of innovative business ideas emerge.

NEW YORK For this season at least, retailers and suppliers of cough-cold products should have plenty of revenue to bank come March 2010. And that’s a stark contrast to more recent seasons — seasons that saw revenues decline both in part because illness rates were down and the fact that retailers were stocking less cough-cold supplies at their warehouses as a result.

NEW YORK The alliance between CVS Caremark's MinuteClinic and Allina Hospitals & Clinics may not be the first time that a clinic operator has partnered with a hospital system, but that doesn't mean that the partnership is any less important.

In fact, the fact that the industry is seeing more of these types of alliances is not only one more example of how the convenient care clinic model continues to evolve but it is also a clear indication of the growing acceptance of the retail clinic concept among the established medical community.

NEW YORK Uninsured Floridians may find a new kind of stocking stuffer in their Christmas stockings this year — one that will help them toward seeing the doctor they’ve been meaning to see, you know, just as soon as they could afford it. The cards are available beginning this month at Winn-Dixie and will be rolled out to CVS/pharmacy beginning in November.

It’s an idea that’s more akin to pre-paid phone cards than anything else, and accordingly will be merchandised alongside other gift card offerings.