Pharmacy Business

When a retail culture dictates that policies are more important than people, there are bad things ahead.

Under a joint initiative with the Department of Health, select Winn-Dixie pharmacies in Florida, Louisiana and Alabama are filling prescriptions of the antiviral drugs Tamiflu and/or Relenza at little or no charge for patients who have inadequate or no prescription insurance coverage.

Because of limited inventories and commercial supplies of liquid Tamiflu®, over 4,000 Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies across the United States are converting the available capsules to liquid form.

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., Inc. (A&P) has introduced what it calls an “aggressive” flu vaccine program enabling shoppers to get free and discounted seasonal flu and, when available, H1N1 (“swine flu”) vaccinations.

Following reports of a shortage of liquid Tamiflu, all of Publix’s 795 pharmacies are offering to compound drug into an oral suspension. Tamiflu, which is used to treat flu-like symptoms, is usually available in either capsule or liquid form. The latter is often prescribed to children, as well as to adults who have trouble swallowing capsules.

According to the recent J.D. Power and Associates 2009 National Pharmacy Study, in the area of customer satisfaction, Wegmans ranked highest in the supermarket segment, with a score of 865, followed by Winn-Dixie with 860 and Publix with 855. In the mass merchandiser segment, Target came in first in customer satisfaction for a third straight year, with a score of 831, while Costco (818) and Sam’s Club (813) were second and third.

Regional independent Stater Bros. Supermarkets yesterday began offering a free 14-day supply of selected antibiotics, including refills, to anyone with or without health insurance coverage who presents a prescription at its Super Rx Pharmacies.

The food industry continues to provide U.S. consumers with valuable information on staying healthy. But the challenge remains in the retailers’ hands to help those consumers — retail customers — determine which message, which lifestyle, which choice is right for them.