Content about Minnesota

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Shopko will open five small-format stores in Minnesota and Wisconsin, the mass merchandise retailer said.

The five Shopko Hometown stores will be in Afton, Wyo., St. Peter, Minn., and Winneconne, Ellsworth and Tomahawk, Wis. The stores are expected to open in late fall. The Shopko Hometown format is designed to serve smaller, rural communities and augment the chain's larger stores and will total 181 out of the chain's more than 330 total stores once the new stores are completed.

MAPLE GROVE, Minn. — A healthcare products distribution trade group has given drug maker Upsher-Smith Labs one of its top awards, Upsher-Smith said.

The drug maker announced it was a recipient of the Healthcare Distribution Management Association's Distribution Industry Award for Notable Achievements in Healthcare, or DIANA, in the category of "Best Overall Branded Pharmaceutical Product Manufacturer with Sales to Healthcare Distributers of Less than $300 Million."

MINNEAPOLIS — Target will introduce its Beauty Concierge program in more than two dozen stores around the nation's capital at the end of next month.

Target said it would roll out the program at 27 stores in Washington, Baltimore and northern Virginia on June 28. Participating stores will be staffed with a beauty concierge, a specially trained staff member who will be available to answer customers' questions in-store and provide them with personalized, detailed and unbiased information about beauty and personal care products offered at Target.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target Corp. has launched the fall 2013 collection of Sonia Kashuk beauty products at its stores, the mass merchandise chain said.

Pictured here: The Sonia Kashuk travel duffle bag.

MAPLE GROVE, Minn. — Skin care brand Amlactin from Upsher-Smith has announced that there's a new power couple in town: alpha-hydroxy acids and essential ceramides. Enter Amlactin Cerapeutic Restoring body lotion.

Making its retail debut at select Walmart and Walgreens stores, Amlactin Cerapeutic contains the patented ultraplex formula to gently exfoliate, as well as three skin-identical ceramides that work together to strengthen skin's protective moisture barrier for softer, more resilient skin.

CHASKA, Minn. — From the creators of Mr. Bubble Bubble Bath comes a new way for kids to have fun while getting clean. Enter Mr. Bubble Original Bubble and Extra Gentle 3-in-1 body wash, shampoo and conditioners.

SAN DIEGO — Specialty drugs are expected to account for 50% of all drug costs by 2018, according to two new studies.

By contrast, specialty drugs accounted for 20% of all drug costs in 2009, but increased to 28.7% by 2012. Pharmacy benefit manager Prime Therapeutics and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota conducted the studies, and Prime is presenting them Tuesday at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy's 25th annual meeting and expo in San Diego.

MAPLE GROVE, Minn. — AmLactin Alpha-Hydroxy skin care has introduced its new AmLactin Cerapeutic Restoring Body Lotion, formulated with alpha-hydroxy acids and essential ceramides.

WASHINGTON — Legislation to expand the use of telehealth technology under Medicare to reduce hospital re-admissions in rural and underserved communities has been re-introduced by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

The bipartisan Fostering Independence Through Technology Act, S. 596, would create a pilot program to provide budget neutral incentives for home health agencies across the country to use remote patient monitoring to better monitor Medicare beneficiaries, improve health outcomes and reduce Medicare expenditures.

WASHINGTON — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) today applauded the introduction of S. 557, the Medication Therapy Management Empowerment Act of 2013, introduced yesterday by U.S. Sens. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., and Pat Roberts, R-Kan., along with the support of original cosponsors U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Al Franken, D-Minn., Tim Johnson, D-S.D., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. The legislation seeks to expand access to MTM services for senior citizens enrolled in the Medicare program.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Post-it brand from 3M announces the launch of Post-it Big Pads, the company announced this weekend at the SXSW 2013 trade show.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Smokeless tobacco users who said they didn’t want to quit changed their minds or significantly cut back when given nicotine lozenges or tobacco-free snuff in a Mayo Clinic study.

The findings are published in the February issue of Addictive Behaviors.