According to Biotab Nutraceuticals chief marketing officer Robert Wilhovsky, there is seasonality within sleep aids. Biotab fielded the No. 3 sleep aid Alteril in food, drug and mass (without Walmart) with dollar growth of more than 126% for the 12 weeks ended April 15, according to SymphonyIRI Group data. Drug Store News caught up with Wilhovsky to talk about how Biotab approaches the overall sleep category, and how the company helps drive its sleep aid solution through key selling periods.

It was about a year ago that GlaxoSmithKline organized a dedicated sales team in support of community pharmacy. Drug Store News met with Jack Bailey, GSK SVP policy payers and vaccines, to discuss the progress of that team and the focus being discussed here at NACDS Annual.

Earlier this month, Walgreens announced that immunization records would be sent directly from its more than 7,800 Walgreens and Duane Reade stores and 350 Take Care Clinics to primary care providers over Surescripts’ electronic prescribing network using Surescripts’ Clinical Interoperability services. And later this year, the company plans to share immunization data with local and state public health agencies, and share Take Care Clinic patient summaries with primary care providers. Drug Store News recently had the opportunity to speak with Surescripts president and CEO Harry Totonis about the new service.

In January, specialty pharmacy group contracting organization Armada Health Care introduced ApproveRx, a Web-based system that it says will greatly streamline the prior authorization process and already has been adopted by Amber Pharmacy. Meanwhile, the company also is gearing up for the Armada Summit at the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel in May. Recently, Drug Store News spoke with Armada CEO Larry Irene about these recent developments.

In preparation for Natural Products Expo West, which kicks off March 8 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., Zevia All Natural Soda is looking to make a big splash in the U.S. market with its line of sugar-free, naturally-sweetened sodas. DSN caught up with Paddy Spence, Zevia CEO, to talk about the new product launch and the potential for "natural sodas" in the U.S. marketplace.

As of Jan. 1, asthma products like the Primatine Mist inhaler became no longer available at retail — leaving consumers with few asthma-care options in the OTC aisle. Drug Store News recently interviewed King Bio president Frank King, who is introducing a new nonprescription inhaler for asthmatics, formulated with homeopathic ingredients, called AsthmaCare under its Safecare banner of products.

On Sunday, Jan. 1, Walgreens' contract with Express Scripts expired, and millions of Walgreens customers covered by ESI were forced to either move their pharmacy business to another pharmacy in the Express Script network or come up with some other way to stick with Walgreens. DSN editor Rob Eder on Tuesday interviewed Walgreens president and CEO Greg Wasson on what the company is doing to hold on to those customers and to appeal to payers, and what the potential ESI-Medco deal could mean.

The National Community Pharmacists Association recently unleashed a new front-end program that has seen more than 20% growth in test pilots. Operating under the hood of that program is 35-year retail veteran Gabe Trahan, NCPA senior director of store operations and marketing. Drug Store News caught up with Trahan to discuss the kinds of tools that can be accessed as part of the new program.

Help Remedies recently gained national distribution and is launching an ad campaign with a “less-is-less-but-that’s-better-for-you” proposition. DSN sat down with Help CEO Richard Fine to discuss who that pitch is supposed to reach.

Drug Store News caught up with Hyland’s Dale Nepsa to discuss its new baby line launch. All told, eight products fall under that new branding.

Drug Store News caught up with Laurie Demeritt of the Hartman Group and Boiron’s Alissa Gould to discuss Boiron’s latest homeopathy use survey.