Content about The Washington Post

April 26, 2013
Senate to make final decision on Marketplace Fairness Act May 6

The Marketplace Fairness Act is one step closer to passing. The Senate voted 63-30 to end debate on the bill, which would compel online retailers to collect state taxes, and will make a final decision on the bill on May 6.

WASHINGTON — The Marketplace Fairness Act is one step closer to passing. The Senate voted 63-30 Thursday to end debate on the bill, which would compel online retailers to collect state taxes, and will make a final decision on the bill on May 6. 

April 2, 2013
Washington Post: Tea sales boon for consumer health and supermarket sales

The Washington Post this week took an in-depth look at the health benefits of tea and how consumers are taking notice. And that's a good thing for specialty tea shops and supermarket chains.

WASHINGTON — The Washington Post this week took an in-depth look at the health benefits of tea and how consumers are taking notice. And that's a good thing for specialty tea shops and supermarket chains.

January 16, 2013
Reports: NY to use GPS-fitted pill bottles to track thieves

New York is hoping to battle the theft of highly addictive prescription drugs, such as Oxycontin, by stocking pharmacies with fake pill bottles that are fitted with GPS tracking devices, according to published reports.

NEW YORK — New York is hoping to battle the theft of highly addictive prescription drugs, such as Oxycontin, by stocking pharmacies with fake pill bottles that are fitted with GPS tracking devices, according to published reports.

The Washington Post reported that Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said, in prepared remarks provided before a conference Tuesday in California sponsored by former president Bill Clinton’s foundation, that the initiative was sparked by a series of crimes associated with the black market for prescription painkillers.

December 6, 2011
FDA to decide on relaxing merchandising restrictions for Plan B

The Food and Drug Administration will decide on Wednesday whether to remove merchandising restrictions on the emergency contraceptive Plan B and allow the product to be merchandised in the front-end without age restrictions, according to a report published Monday in the Washington Post.

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration will decide on Wednesday whether to remove merchandising restrictions on the emergency contraceptive Plan B and allow the product to be merchandised in the front-end without age restrictions, according to a report published Monday in the Washington Post.

October 7, 2011
Half the states line up against ESI-Medco

The feathers continued to fly last week. First, NACDS debuted a new print ad in the Washington Post, then news broke that half the states in the country are against the $29 billion ESI-Medco mega-merger.

If Express Scripts and Medco are right about the projected closing of what their opponents are calling the “mega-merger,” then we might be looking at dozens of more weeks of this.

(THE NEWS: NACDS urges consumers to prevent super-PBM 'stranglehold' on medicines. For the full story, click here)

October 4, 2011
NACDS urges consumers to prevent super-PBM 'stranglehold' on medicines

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores on Tuesday unveiled the print advertising component of its campaign to emphasize the anti-competitive and anti-consumer effects of the proposed merger of Express Scripts and Medco.

WASHINGTON — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores on Tuesday unveiled the print advertising component of its campaign to emphasize the anti-competitive and anti-consumer effects of the proposed merger of Express Scripts and Medco.

The new print ad was published in the Oct. 4 issue of the Washington Post (and can be seen by clicking here).

August 18, 2011
Career pharmacist Edward Spearbeck passes at 78

Pharmacist Edward Spearbeck, 78, passed on Aug. 14, according to a report in the Washington Post published Thursday.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Pharmacist Edward Spearbeck, 78, passed on Aug. 14, according to a report in the Washington Post published Thursday.

May 24, 2011
Report: States scale back funding to HIV, AIDS medication programs

Several states are cutting funding to programs that provide HIV medications to people who can’t afford them in an effort to reduce spending, according to a published report.

NEW YORK — Several states are cutting funding to programs that provide HIV medications to people who can’t afford them in an effort to reduce spending, according to a published report.

The Washington Post reported that more than 8,300 people are on waiting lists to obtain antiretrovirals and other drugs that treat HIV, AIDS and related conditions. The Post article highlighted particularly large program cuts in Illinois and Georgia, as well as one proposed for Florida.

March 28, 2011
NACDS president opines about the cost of medication nonadherence

Looking to further communicate the important role pharmacy plays in the healthcare delivery system, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores president and CEO Steve Anderson ran an opinion column in a "Medication Non-Adherence" supplement published Monday by Mediaplanet and distributed in The Washington Post.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Looking to further communicate the important role pharmacy plays in the healthcare delivery system, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores president and CEO Steve Anderson ran an opinion column in a "Medication Non-Adherence" supplement published Monday by Mediaplanet and distributed in The Washington Post.

February 17, 2011
Soon after Valentine’s, food stores foster romance

The Washington Post on Thursday morning tagged the Wegmans in Lanham, Md. — a suburb of Washington — as "Club Wegmans," the latest hot spot to meet singles.

WASHINGTON — The Washington Post on Thursday morning tagged the Wegmans in Lanham, Md. — a suburb of Washington — as "Club Wegmans," the latest hot spot to meet singles.

And it’s not just singles. According to the article, “Singles hook up in front of bins of fresh produce; couples gather for dates in the grocery store's sit-down restaurant; and shoppers sway to music from overhead speakers, singing along with Prince, Luther Vandross and Teena Marie.”

January 5, 2011
Report: Sharfstein to leave FDA

Food and Drug Administration principal deputy commissioner Joshua Sharfstein will leave the agency to become head of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, according to published reports.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — Food and Drug Administration principal deputy commissioner Joshua Sharfstein will leave the agency to become head of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, according to published reports.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Sharfstein, the FDA’s top official after commissioner Margaret Hamburg, had received an invitation to head the state health department from Gov. Martin O’Malley.

Before assuming his position at the FDA, Sharfstein served as head of the Baltimore City Health Department.

December 6, 2010
Giant-Landover president to exit at end of year

Two-and-a-half years after joining the company, Robin Michel is leaving as president of the Giant-Landover division of Ahold USA to pursue other opportunities, the company confirmed Monday.

LANDOVER, Md. — Two-and-a-half years after joining the company, Robin Michel is leaving as president of the Giant-Landover division of Ahold USA to pursue other opportunities, the company confirmed Monday.

Michel will depart at the end of the month, according to Ahold USA spokesperson Sara Neumann. She will be replaced on a temporary basis as operations chief by Don Sussman, EVP supply chain at Ahold, while the company conducts a search for a successor.

May 20, 2010
Retail clinics should join front lines of America's health care

Emergency room visits have been -- and continue to be -- on the rise, and...

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT Emergency room visits have been -- and continue to be -- on the rise, and if the recently passed healthcare reform is not coupled with an aggressive game plan to deliver healthcare services to the newly insured, the ER will continue to be the first place many seek care. One way to ease the pressure on overburdened ERs: Establish more retail-based clinics.

May 17, 2010
Op-ed: Retail clinics are the answer to ER overcrowding, costs

Meeting patients' needs and providing access to care may be as simple as expanding retail...

WASHINGTON Meeting patients' needs and providing access to care may be as simple as expanding retail clinics' presence, an op-ed published in The Washington Post suggested.