Regina business changing owners after 55 years

From the Regina Leader Post:
After 55 years of ownership by the Ast family, Hill Avenue Drugs has been sold.

But don't mention retirement to Dean Ast.

"Please do not say that I'm retiring," said the 46-year-old pharmacist with a laugh. "It was time for a change but I'm not retiring. Obviously pharmacy and health care are still interests."

Andrew Gilbertson became the store's new owner on April 1 but he's not a new face behind the dispensary. The pharmacist has worked with Ast for almost four years.

"We had talked about a buyout and some time last year it felt right to sell," Ast said. ...more

Medicine man wanted Munday officials work to lure pharmacist

Here's an older article that I wanted to post because I don't think I've ever heard of a town be so aggressive in the pursuit of an independent pharmacist.

From the Wichita Falls (Tex.) Times Record:
It was more than a drug store.

It was the center of life in Munday.

For decades, locals drifted into Smith Drug on Main Street for a cup of coffee, a gift for a friend's birthday and - almost as an afterthought - their prescriptions.

But in March 2006, the out-of-town owners of the store closed the business, creating a huge void that city leaders are working hard to fill, said Munday City Manager Dwayne Bearden.

"People need a pharmacy," he said. "We have one 12 miles away (in Knox City), but it's not as good as having one here. Somebody would be a hero if they could get one here."

The city, along with the Development Corporation of Munday, have been actively trying to lure a pharmacist to town by offering incentives for anyone willing to relocate and reopen the business. ...more

The demise of the corner drugstore

From the Globe and Mail:
For years, John Girgis ran a profitable drugstore in Mississauga, and felt he was doing something good for the community. But today, Mr. Girgis's store is losing so much money he's thinking about selling it to one of the big chains or closing down.

Mr. Girgis blames changes to Ontario's drug pricing regime that prohibited an estimated $500-million in annual rebates that flowed to him and other pharmacists from generic drug companies. Since the new law came into effect this year, Mr. Girgis was cut off from thousands of dollars a year, a crucial stream of revenue for his pharmacy.

"We've been here 11 years and we're part of the community - just to pack up and leave would be devastating to a lot of people," he says. While his business has slid into the red, a Shoppers Drug Mart down the street seems to be thriving.

Mr. Girgis isn't the only independent pharmacist to feel the heat. A study on generic drug pricing issued last week by the federal Competition Bureau will give druggists across Canada more reason to fret. ...more

Part D killing small pharmacies

It's not a Canadian story, but I thought it would be a good idea to mention some of the difficulties that independent pharmacies are feeling in the States. Would a Canadian national pharmacare program have similar issues? I think it's possible.

From Newsday (NY):
While I was on the phone with Frank Deluco, a Staten Island pharmacist, he had a typical emergency.

The customer was in pain and needed his prescription quickly but couldn't figure out his benefits under Part D. Deluco filled the prescription and helped relieve the elderly customer's pain and confusion.

But Deluco, 56, whose Delco Pharmacy has been in business 40 years, may be a dying breed; thousands of neighborhood drugstores like his represent an endangered species. Deluco explained one reason why: A 90-day supply of the drug for his customer costs him $216 and change, but he'll be reimbursed only about $214 by the insurer and the Pharmaceutical Benefit Manager (PBM) he deals with.

"We're supposed to make at least $10 or $15 as a dispensing fee," he said. "But we get $1.50 or $2, so we lose money most of the time and we have no power to get a better price from the PBMs. And they're often late in paying us for the prescriptions we fill." ...more

The Corner Drugstore, Barely Clinging to Health

Here's a good article regarding the state of American independent retail pharmacy. There are some definite parallels to the Canadian retail scene.

From the Washington Post:
Cheri Garvin and her staff at Leesburg Pharmacy will mix pediatric reflux medicine from scratch, in any flavor a child desires. If peppermint doesn't suit, she has peaches and cream, pina colada, pineapple -- and those are just the Ps. And the kids get an advance taste, ice-cream-parlor style. "We want to make Mom's job of getting it down them easier," said Garvin, a mother of two young boys. "We'll mix Tutti-Frutti if that's what it takes."

"What it takes" is a mantra for Garvin, a community pharmacist in a world being overtaken by chain stores and, increasingly, mail-order warehouses. She has survived by turning her brick-and-glass storefront in the Virginia Village strip mall into a refuge for anyone whose health-care needs don't fit within the template of the big-box economy.

Sandy Bishop drove her daughter Elizabeth, 14, eight miles from Ashburn, past a dozen pharmacies, to buy a brace for her ankle, which she sprained while playing lacrosse. "They have a much better selection here than Wal-Mart," said Elizabeth. Parents of autistic children, who are sensitive to many additives, come here to have their medicine specially mixed, allergen-free, in the pharmacy's state-of-the-art compounding lab. People with questions about medications can ask them at an out-of-the-way consultation counter. "I feel like I can actually talk to someone without those horrendous lines at CVS where everyone hears you," Sandy Bishop said. And if your baby has runaway diaper rash, Leesburg Pharmacy has an acclaimed homemade remedy with an unvarnished name: Robert's Butt Paste. Try asking your mail-order drug plan for that. ...more