Category Archives: Wholesale Pharmacy

The state has issued cease and desist letters to 11 pharmacies for a range of violations, and cited another 21 for minor deficiencies, since inspectors started making unannounced visits in the wake of a nationwide fungal meningitis outbreak that began at a Framingham compounding pharmacy. The disturbing results of these inspections, and the need for regulators to force the closure of all or part of 11 compounding pharmacies, are further evidence of another systemic failure of oversight by state government, said Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr in a statement. If the current system tolerated this degree of regulatory noncompliance, then clearly, its time for serious reform. Beyond merely distributing medication, compounding pharmacies produce special batches of medication for individual patients. New England Compounding Center was allegedly using its compounding license to produce wholesale quantities of medications in violation of its license, and unsanitary conditions lead to the shipping of tainted steroids causing 696 infections and 45 deaths in 20 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control. In the wake of that outbreak, the Board of Registration in Pharmacy started unannounced inspections on the states 40 sterile compounding pharmacies, and has since ordered 11 pharmacies to close or shut down … Continue reading →

DO NOT CONFUSE THIS NATIONAL REPORT with the various regional purchasing reports released across the country. The national report's information reflects the entire United States, while the regional reports contain primarily regional data from their local vicinities. Also, the information in the regional reports is not used in calculating the results of the national report. The information compiled in this report is for the month of January 2013. This report reflects the U.S. Department of Commerce's recently completed annual adjustments to the seasonal adjustment factors used to calculate the indexes. TEMPE, Ariz., Feb.5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Economic activity in the non-manufacturing sector grew in January for the 37th consecutive month, say the nation's purchasing and supply executives in the latest Non-Manufacturing ISM Report On Business. The report was issued today by Anthony Nieves, C.P.M., CFPM, chair of the Institute for Supply Management Non-Manufacturing Business Survey Committee. "The NMI registered 55.2 percent in January, 0.5 percentage point lower than the seasonally adjusted 55.7 percent registered in December. This indicates continued growth at a slightly slower rate in the non-manufacturing sector. The Non-Manufacturing Business Activity Index registered 56.4 percent, which is 4.4 percentage points lower than the seasonally adjusted 60.8 percent reported in … Continue reading →

LONDON, January 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The healthcare industry is preparing itself for sweeping reforms after the U.S. Supreme Court in June last year upheld President Obama's Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA will have a significant impact on all players in the industry from pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) such as Express Scripts Holding Company (ESRX) to health insurers such as CIGNA Corp. (CI). StockCall has posted technical analysis reports on Express Scripts and CIGNA. Sign up today and access these reports for free at http://www.stockcall.com/research Impact on PBMs Under the ACA, new reporting and regulations will come into effect for Medicare Part D plans and health plans taking part in state exchanges, who have their own PBM or contract with a PBM. However, the transparency requirements are not expected to have any material impact on PBMs. In fact, expanded coverage and launch of biosimilars are expected to benefit PBMs. Indeed, PBMs stand to benefit the most from the reforms as they will manage expanded prescription drug insurance for plans sold through health insurance exchanges. Express Scripts' Cautious Outlook Although the ACA is likely to benefit PBMs in the long-term, in the near-term, a weak business climate and unemployment outlook … Continue reading →

H.D. Smiths Springfield work force is up to 286, nearly 50 percent more than in the fall of 2009. Companywide employment of 879 is up 16.1 percent. Its a combination of factors, said president and chief operating officer Chris Smith. Economic recovery has helped, he said. The company, with annual revenues of $3.5 billion, is the fourth-largest pharmaceutical wholesaler in the nation and the largest that is privately owned. There also have been a series of acquisitions, including two in the last three months. But Smith said much of the local employment growth results from Internet technology hires related to a companywide system upgrade, including new warehouse, document management and invoice systems. The Opus project was begun more than two years ago and is scheduled for completion in 2013. Were going through a major systems change, said Smith, whose brother, Dale Jr., is chairman and CEO. Dale Sr., who founded H.D. Smith as a one-building, one-vehicle operation in 1954, still comes to work regularly. In addition to the corporate headquarters in Park South, H.D. Smith leases office space on the west side. Go here to see the original: H.D. Smith continues to grow … Continue reading →

Should you buy a retail pharmacy? Listen to the 3 panelist give their parting shots for Panel 4. They discuss issues such as Location analysis, Wholesale vs retail operations and so much more. By: MrSunshyne1 … Continue reading →

Posted: 8:12 PM Updated: 8:45 PM Federal, state arrangement meant to stem burgeoning drug holdups problem in capital; Kennebec and Somerset counties district attorney plans to continue arrangement By Betty Adams badams@centralmaine.com Staff Writer AUGUSTA -- It's the new normal for pharmacy robberies in Maine's capital city: Suspects will be hunted by both Augusta police and the FBI and will face federal prosecution. click image to enlarge Anthony Post, 19, of Lewiston, charged with robbing the CVS pharmacy on Stone Street in Augusta on Tuesday, is the first person to be turned over to federal prosecution under a new agreement between state and federal law enforcement officials. Contributed photo click image to enlarge Maeghan Maloney Staff file photo by Joe Phelan The arrest this week of a man who police say robbed the CVS on Stone Street on Tuesday highlights the arrangement with federal officials, which comes in the wake of a record number of pharmacy robberies in Maine in 2012. Augusta had nine, the most of any municipality. View post: Augusta pharmacy robbers to face federal prosecution … Continue reading →

Costco Wholesale (COST) is a large membership warehouse retailer that sells a variety of bulk goods in several countries. -Seven Year Revenue Growth Rate: 9.4% -Seven Year EPS Growth Rate: 8.6% -Seven Year Dividend Growth Rate: 13.3% -Current Dividend Yield: 1.08% -Balance Sheet Strength: Strong Costco is one of the lowest yielding stocks that I publish analysis articles on when not taking into account their recent huge one-time special dividend. Overall, much like last year, I think Costco is a fantastic company and a respectable stock for long-term capital appreciation, but at the current time, I view it as fully valued with little or no margin of safety, and it doesnt offer a very appealing regular dividend yield. With over 170,000 employees, Costco operates 622 warehouses. Of these, 448 are in the US and Puerto Rico, 85 are in Canada, 32 are in Mexico, 23 are in the UK, 13 are in Japan, 9 are in Taiwan, 9 are in Korea, and 3 are in Australia. In addition, Costco operates its large online retail site. Sundries (cleaning supplies, tobacco, alcohol, candy, snacks, etc.) accounted for 22% of 2011 sales. Hardlines (electronics, hardware, office supplies, beauty supplies, furniture, garden, etc.) accounted … Continue reading →

Its been a bad flu season with hospitals in many cities overwhelmed with patients. This is largely a preventable problem. The annual flu vaccine is not perfect but a wider use of the vaccine would provide someamelioration. So why dont more people get a flu shot? Some reporter at the LA Times seemed to think that cost might be a factor (Why does a flu shot cost so much?, Jan 21). After all, getting the shot at your local pharmacy will set you back $30 or so. However, as the reporter found out, given the supply chain challenges of producing and distributing influenza vaccines, the real question is why flu shots cost so little. "Thats because the process of manufacturing the flu shot and distributing it is a huge headache for pharmaceutical companies. The influenza vaccine must be made anew each year, beginning in February. Researchers determine what strains to put in the vaccine after looking closely at what types of flu are most prevalent in the Southern Hemisphere throughout its winter, which is our summer. Vaccines for other illnesses, such as measles, mumps and rubella, can be used until their expiration date, which is often years after theyre made. … Continue reading →

T. Rowe Price Health Sciences Fund (PRHSX) manager Kris Jenner is on the hunt for investment ideas in health-care services after getting a big boost from biotechnology stocks last year. About a third of the $5 billion fund is invested in biotech names, and while major alterations are unlikely, Dr. Jenner believes last year's biotech surge will be hard to replicate. So in the run-up to big changes under the health-care overhaul law, the fund's team is looking at companies that provide, manage and pay for care. There are "several sectors to look at," Dr. Jenner said. Services companies include hospitals, insurers, pharmacy-benefit managers and others. The health overhaul for these companies really kicks into gear next year, when coverage extends to millions of Americans, creating a menagerie of new opportunities and pressures for health companies. "Fundamentally you're going to have more patients in the health-care system, you're going to have greater payments in the health-care system," but also new costs, Dr. Jenner said. Recent T. Rowe Price Group Inc. (TROW) data show nearly 27% of the fund invested in services, a third in biotechnology, 22% in pharmaceuticals, 14% in products and devices and a small sliver in life sciences. … Continue reading →

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Jan. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --H. D. Smith, among the nation's largest pharmaceutical wholesalers, today announced the establishment of H. D. Smith Specialty Solutions, an organization structured to provide focus and alignment around specialty and traditional brand products, solutions and services. The company also announced the realignment of select executive leadership positions to best capitalize on the growing needs resulting from recent geographic and service expansions. These expansions include the acquisition of Valley Wholesale Drug in October 2012 and a planned majority ownership investment in Triplefin announced in January 2013. Valley Wholesale Drug operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of H. D. Smith from its California headquarters, increasing the company's customer base in California and expansion into the Pacific Northwest. Triplefin is a brand and specialty pharmaceutical support services company headquartered in Cincinnati, OH, with offices in Scottsdale, AZ, Portland, OR (Sharepoint Innovations), and Sarasota FL (Specialty Pharmacy Nursing Network). With Triplefin, H. D. Smith's prescription pharmaceutical service offering to manufacturing partners and specialty pharmacy customers has significantly increased. "With the recent additions of Valley Wholesale Drug and Triplefin to the H. D. Smith family of companies, our geographic and service-offering reach has expanded greatly and our business structure … Continue reading →