Building a new future for pharmacy

Drug Store News, August 20, 2001

The past 12 months have gone by in a whirlwind for executives in the chain pharmacy sector. And the next 12 months promise more of the same--from the battle over President Bush's proposed prescription discount card to the daily pressure to stave off margin erosion in the retail pharmacy.

New threats to the traditional retail pharmacy model also have arisen. One of the more significant threats comes from pharmacy benefit managers, who are trying to move between the physician and pharmacist relationship via a connectivity hub that would control the prescription processing and adjudicating function.

In this special report, Drug Store News looks at both the challenges to pharmacy's future viability and at some of the solutions being tried in thousands of stores around the country.

We've also tried to offer a snapshot of what's happening with more than two dozen of the nation's top pharmacy retailers, including powerhouse chains, such as Walgreens, and nimble regional players, such as Snyder's Drug Stores and Familymeds.

The result is a rambling portrait of an industry and a profession hammered by change, but regaining its footing in the new healthcare landscape--an industry building a new future. It's a promising picture.