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Diabetes is one of the country’s most serious public health crises, and it will likely remain so for some time. According to the American Diabetes Association, 25.8 million Americans now have the disease, with another 79 million at risk, and most of those with the disease have Type 2 diabetes — the kind that results from lifestyle choices.


But half of “public health” is “public,” and recent efforts by retailers and suppliers have sought to combat the disease at the community level.


LAKE FOREST, Ill. — There’s a new option for chronic pain sufferers that ought to spark some growth across external analgesics, including heat and ice packs: Omron’s recently approved ElectroTherapy Pain Relief unit. There are as many as 60 million chronic pain sufferers, according to the American Chronic Pain Association. And of those in search of pain relief solutions, 80% seek more than one type, according to research conducted on behalf of Thermionics. So Omron’s $69.99 transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation unit should be an adjunctive sale.

Beyond the most obvious impetus for providing vaccines at the retail pharmacy level — it protects the public’s health by providing a more convenient option than making an appointment with the doctor — it also might help save money for employers.


A study recently published in the journal Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation found that when more vaccinations are administered in an alternate setting, such as a pharmacy, employers realize a greater cost benefit. 


On the horizon of diabetes offerings at retail is telemedicine — a concept that may come sooner than later thanks to the rapid adoption of smartphones by consumers. In March 2012, researchers from the Stanford Prevention Research Center reported that smartphone applications can raise awareness and motivate older adults to improve their health. After eight weeks, 80% of participants reported increased awareness regarding a targeted health behavior (increased walking, decreased sitting time, improved diet), and three-quarters said the apps helped track the behavior.

As part of its exclusive Executive Viewpoint video series, DSN editor Rob Eder interviewed Walgreens president and CEO Greg Wasson and president of health and daily living solutions Joe Magnacca for DSN.TV. In this special three-part installment, sponsored by Jubilant Cadista Pharmaceuticals, Wasson and Magnacca discuss the vision that is guiding the transformation of Walgreens’ business and its stores, and what it all means for patients, payers and suppliers.

Shirley Chater, Ph.D., is a visionary and courageous healthcare leader, whose nursing journey started when she was just a little girl hearing the inspirational words of her father assuring her that she could be anything she wanted to be as long as she helped people.

She began working in a doctor’s office as a teenager, and over the years, her career led her to head up one of the most complex and challenging agencies in the federal government — the U.S. Social Security Administration.

Out of all U.S. industries, the drivers shuttling statins and beta-blockers from the distribution centers to the pharmacies are perhaps most in need of healthcare counseling.

Despite the patent cliff rendering entire therapeutic categories generic-only, numerous opportunities exist, according to a speech delivered in August at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores’ 2012 Pharmacy and Technology Conference in Denver by IMS Health VP industry relations Doug Long.

In June, Walgreens announced a two-step investment in a strategic partnership with Alliance Boots, to acquire a 45% equity stake in the privately held company for $6.7 billion in cash and stock in the first step with the option to acquire the other 55% approximately three years down the road at what is today being projected to be another $9.5 billion price tag in cash and stock. 


"You’ve got to skate to where the puck is going, not to where it’s been.” 


That’s how Bryan Pugh, who is Walgreens’ VP and chief merchandising officer, described how the merchandising department functions at Walgreens. It’s a fast-moving game. It’s got to be fluid. And if you lose focus for even one second, you stand the chance of being railroaded into the boards and becoming less of a force in the game. 


Patients diagnosed with serious disease have enough on their minds. So Walgreens is doing all it can to make it easier for them to obtain, administer and pay for their specialty and infused medicines, said Mike Ellis, VP specialty pharmacy and infusion.


“The concept is to go where patients are diagnosed and where they reside. We have a large sales force who call on physicians who prescribe these types of medications. But like everything else at Walgreens, it starts with the patient.”


The way Walgreens is deploying technology through its stores may be futuristic, but it is no science fiction. It’s real innovation that is helping to drive its total transformation along so many areas of its business — and it’s being produced in real-time.