How can we improve Industry News @-a-Glance? We encourage your feedback!

Wal-Mart says vice chairman to retire
Wal-Mart has announced that vice chairman Thomas M. Coughlin is to retire from the company, effective January 24, after more than 25 years with the company. Coughlin began his Wal-Mart career in 1978 in the company's security division, and was named vice chairman of Wal-Mart and elected to the Wal-Mart board of directors in April 2003. Coughlin will remain on the Wal-Mart board until his term ends at the company's annual shareholder meeting on June 3, 2005...
just-food | USA Today

Gloomy month for drugstores
Widespread sales weakness in November spread to two major drugstore chains, with CVS reporting weaker-than-expected results and rival Rite Aid posting an unexpected decline. CVS said same-store sales, or those at stores open at least a year, rose 3.1% for the month over the year-ago period, short of Wall Street's estimates that called for a jump of around 5%. Meanwhile, Rite Aid said its same-store sales ticked down 1.3% because of the United Auto Workers mandatory mail prescription program and tougher year-over-year comparisons...
The Street

Additional News:

• Kroger reports higher Q3 earnings just-food
• Former Rite Aid exec wins bail Retail Merchandiser
• Internet shopping spurs growth in coupons Billings Gazette
• CVS Corporation November sales increase 27.0% Business Wire
• Walgreens announces company promotions Drug Store News (Sub Req'd)
• Rite Aid reports 1.3 percent same store sales decrease for November Business Wire
• Canada Safeway Lifestyle stores upgrading 'Grab-and-go' program Progressive Grocer

Back to Top

Generic drug use varies widely by state, study reveals
Generic drug use varies widely by state, according to a new Express Scripts study that measured per capita generic drug utilization in 2003, using a random sample of approximately 3 million pharmacy benefit plan members age 18 to 64. The study revealed that Massachusetts had the highest generic dispensing rate, at 51%, followed by New Mexico and Oregon, with generic dispensing rates of approximately 50%. Eastern states, such as New Jersey and New York; and southern states, including Texas, Louisiana, Florida and Mississippi, used generics to fill fewer than 43% of all prescriptions...
Express Scripts

Study: Celebrex safer on heart than Vioxx
A new study finds that Celebrex, the first in a family of stomach-friendly painkillers called cox-2 inhibitors, is safer for the heart than Vioxx, a similar drug that has been linked to cardiovascular problems. Cox-2 inhibitors, or coxibs, have come under fire since September, when Merck & Co. pulled Vioxx from the market after its researchers noted an increased heart attack risk in people taking the drug. Preliminary information shows that Bextra, another coxib, may have similar problems among patients with heart disease...
Forbes

Additional News:

• FDA approves single-use vial of Vitrase Facts & Comparisons
• FDA approved generic Videx EC Facts & Comparisons
• FDA mulls easier access to cholesterol drugs The Street
• Merck forms fall-out Vioxx committee Financial Times
• UK tightens antidepressant rules, curbs Wyeth drug Reuters
• 5 million additional flu shots on the way Indianapolis Star
• Britain extends suspension of flu vaccine maker's license Morning Star

Back to Top

Apples may ward off Alzheimer's disease
When it comes to preventing Alzheimer's disease, the old saying that "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" might be good advice, according to a new study. Apples contain a compound called quercetin that appears to protect rat brain cells from free radicals--unstable molecules that damage cells and are known to play a role in some diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. The study was conducted by researchers including Chang Yong Lee, PhD, head of Cornell University's food science and technology department...
WebMD

Back to Top

Del Labs announces Church & Dwight no longer an acquisition partner
Manufacturer Del Laboratories, whose flagship brands include Sally Hansen and Orajel, announced Tuesday that Church & Dwight Co. will no longer be an equity participant with Kelso & Co. in the acquisition of Del Labs. Furthermore, Church & Dwight, maker of Arm & Hammer, has relinquished its option to buy Del Labs' Orajel brand...
Drug Store News (Sub Req'd) | Forbes

CVS to offer exclusive line of Lavoris Kids oral care products
Starting this month, CVS will exclusively offer a new line of Lavoris Kids oral care products featuring Clifford The Big Red Dog. The oral care line will be available nationwide in spring 2005. Scholastic Entertainment and Charles Flora Consumer Products, a manufacturer and distributor of licensed and branded health and beauty products, teamed up to introduce the line. Charles Flora’s portfolio of brands also includes Lavoris mouthwash, acquired in 2003...
Drug Store News (Sub Req'd)

Back to Top

Beck's to launch lowest-calorie beer on U.S. market
InBev USA will launch Beck's Premier Light in the first quarter of 2005. The beer has 64 calories and 3.9 grams of carbohydrates, compared with Miller Lite with 96 calories and 3.2 carbs and Bud Light, with 110 calories and 6.6 carbs, all per 12-ounce serving. Beck's Premier Light will be the first low-carb import to hit the U.S. market. The new beer will start shipping in January, with a full national rollout expected for March 1...
Drug Store News (Sub Req'd) | Yahoo/PRNewswire

Back to Top

Fellowship of the Matrix
Is a movie, these days, ever finished? Decades after Star Wars and its two sequels were released, George Lucas updated the special effects of some scenes. He said he was "completing" the films, although he hadn't told the hundreds of millions who bought tickets to the original movies that they were watching a rough cut. Now two other famous trilogies have been given the lavish, can't-get-too-much-of-a-good-thing DVD treatment...
TIME

Competition leads to Kimberly-Clark cuts
Kimberly-Clark, maker of Huggies diapers and Kleenex tissues, said Monday that it aims to cut costs by $400 million to $500 million over the next three years and will repurchase $1 billion in stock during 2005. The company is locked in fierce price competition on diapers and training pants with rival Procter & Gamble. The battle is pressuring profits...
USA Today

Back to Top

Food trade groups applaud new bioterrorism rules
On the heels of controversial statements about the safety of the food supply made by outgoing U.S. Secretary Of Health And Human Services Tommy Thompson last Friday, the federal government announced new rules aimed at helping trace the source of contaminated food, particularly in the event of a bioterrorist attack on the nation’s food supply. The impetus behind the new rules, announced this week by the FDA, is to enable investigators to determine the specific origins necessary to trace back tainted food in the event of an outbreak...
Progressive Grocer

Study: 1 in 3 diabetic men may suffer low sex hormone levels
A third of men with type 2 diabetes have low testosterone levels, a new study suggests. Testosterone helps men reduce body fat and improves the way their bodies handle insulin. So low testosterone levels may have serious consequences for men with diabetes, suggests Sandeep Dhindsa, MD, of State University of New York at Buffalo. "We are describing a new complication of type 2 diabetes. We are saying that the largest group of people who have [low testosterone] are diabetics," Dhindsa tells WebMD...
WebMD

Back to Top