NCPA Statement on Walgreens-Rite Aid Deal

PRESS RELEASE

ALEXANDRIA, VA. (Oct. 28, 2015) - National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) CEO B. Douglas Hoey, RPh, MBA, issued the following statement today in response to the announcement that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. would purchase Rite Aid Corp.

"This merger would create an entity with approximately 12,000 retail pharmacies. That’s nearly 20 percent of the brick and mortar pharmacies in the U.S."

"NCPA is evaluating the impact of the merged company on pharmacy small business owners and the patients they serve. At a minimum, regulators should closely scrutinize this merger, particularly in regions of high concentration of their pharmacies."

"While large chain pharmacies continue to merge to increase their negotiating leverage, independent community pharmacies continue to fill gaps in patient care in rural, urban, and underserved communities. These independent community pharmacies will also continue to stand out for their sterling customer service and for providing a range of niche health care services to meet important patient needs. As the number of publicly traded chain pharmacy corporations continues to shrink, independent community pharmacies offer consumers, health care providers, and payers options to optimize the value from their medications.”