Content about Louisiana

Will Congress rip away the ability of independent and small chain pharmacies to sell diabetic supplies and durable medical equipment to Medicare patients?

That's the essential question being debated by the U.S. House Small Business Subcommittee on Healthcare and Technology. The congressional panel is mulling a proposal from some lawmakers to exempt smaller pharmacy operators — defined as those with 10 or fewer locations — from the new Medicare competitive bidding program.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Louisiana pharmacist Randy Mire testified before Congress Tuesday that efforts to combat the diabetes epidemic in his home state and elsewhere would be significantly undermined if independent community pharmacies like his are forced to stop offering diabetes testing supplies as a result of Medicare’s competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment, according to a National Community Pharmacists Association release.

Mire appeared on behalf of NCPA before the U.S. House Small Business Subcommittee on Healthcare and Technology.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. —The CVS Caremark Charitable Trust and CVS/pharmacy have announced a donation of more than $20,000 in support of communities that have been affected by Hurricane Isaac.

The CVS Caremark Charitable Trust has donated $15,000 to the American Red Cross to support relief and recovery efforts. CVS/pharmacy also is providing nearly 1,000 first aid kits and nearly $5,000 in additional financial support to Red Cross shelters across Louisiana and Mississippi.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores urged House and Senate leaders to support bipartisan legislation that would level the playing field between brick-and-mortar retail businesses — including community pharmacies — and Internet and other remote sellers. The legislation also would give states the ability potentially to collect millions of dollars in sales tax annually.

NEW ORLEANS — Costco will enter the state of Louisiana with a 148,000-sq.-ft. store at Carrollton Plaza Shopping Center in New Orleans.

The new lease, announced by center owner The Feil Organization, will add Costco to a lineup of retailers that includes CVS, Firestone, Family Dollar and Subway.

Costco is slated to open spring 2013.

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — Johnson & Johnson Consumer Cos. last week voluntarily recalled from retailers one lot of Aveeno Baby Calming Comfort lotion that was distributed in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas.

This is not a consumer level recall and no action is required by consumers, the company stated.

MORRISTOWN, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic version of a drug for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder made by Actavis, the drug maker said Wednesday.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores has announced that the dates of the 2012 NACDS RxImpact Day on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., have been changed because of an alteration in the 2012 congressional calendar. The new dates for the two-day pharmacy advocacy event will be March 21 and 22, 2012.

The event was previously scheduled for the prior week in March, which now falls during a congressional district work period in which members of Congress will be in their home states and districts.   


LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles-based clothing manufacturer American Apparel is expanding its beauty portfolio with the launch of its first line of lip glosses.

The company is adding nine shades of gloss to its palette of Made in USA beauty products. The nine colors feature names that evoke an array of facets of the American Apparel experience, such as Legalize LA, a bright red using the slogan of the company's call for immigration reform, and Pantytime, an apricot-toned pink named after American Apparel's yearly celebration of all things underwear.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — The Louisiana State Senate has given the green light to legislation that would expand pharmacy's ability to administer immunizations, and now the House of Representatives is slated to vote on the legislation in the coming days. The passage of SB 60 is important because expanding the pharmacist's ability to administer vaccinations is a relatively low-cost way to expand access and ultimately improve outcomes.

HOUSTON — Kroger's Southwest division, which consists of 208 stores in Texas and Louisiana, announced that it is continuing to reduce waste and conserve energy by moving forward with sustainable practices by renewing its three-step approach.

MT. PLEASANT, Texas — The Bling is coming to Brookshire’s. Brookshire Grocery, a chain of more than 150 supermarkets and pharmacies operating in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas, last week partnered with Bling Nation — a mobile technology platform that enables a new way to pay for groceries or prescriptions using only a mobile phone.

The tap-and-connect mobile phone capabilities available through Bling Nation also will allow Brookshire’s to connect with its customers through its Facebook page.