Free Republic

HAVERHILL - A Haverhill woman and her boyfriend have been arrested for allegedly selling cocaine from the cosmetics counter at a pharmacy in the city where the woman worked. Police say customers would call 26-year-old Luis Ledesma on a cell phone and he would send them to the cosmetics department at a local Walgreens where they would meet his girlfriend, 27-year-old Enery Fernandez.

The Walgreen Co, which operates Walgreens drug stores, has agreed to stop altering prescriptions without physician approval as part of a multi-state agreement to settle allegations of improper billing, according to Tennessee Attorney General Bob Cooper. Walgreens was accused of switching the dosage forms on three medications commonly prescribed for Medicaid patients without doctor approvals in order to boost profits. This resulted in Medicaid programs nationwide paying much more for the medications than they normally would have, according to a press release by the attorney general’s office. Walgreen Co. agreed to comply with state and federal laws on the matter,...

Morristown, NJ - The manufacturer of Digitek digoxin tablets is recalling the product, saying that it may have accidentally released pills that are double the normal thickness, carrying twice the normal dose [1]. Digoxin is used in the treatment of arrhythmias and heart failure, and a double dose could cause toxicity, most notably in patients with renal failure. According to a press release from Digitek's manufacturer, Actavis, digitalis toxicity "can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, low blood pressure, cardiac instability, and bradycardia," and even death. The FDA is alerting doctors and the public to the recall via its MedWatch program. The...

BARTOW, Fla. — A jury awarded $25.8 million Friday to the family of a cancer patient who was given a wrong prescription, had a stroke and died several years later, lawyers said.Beth Hippely was prescribed Warfarin, a blood thinner, in 2002 to treat breast cancer. The prescription filled at a Walgreen pharmacy was 10 times what her doctor prescribed, court documents said. The Polk County Circuit Court jury found the prescription error caused a cerebral hemorrhage resulting in permanent bodily injury, disability and physical pain. The mother of three died in January at the age of 46. A 19-year-old pharmacy...

Advertisers in the U.S. are starting to "reach out" to Muslims and "focusing on ways to use the cultural aspects of the Muslim religion to help sell their products," according to The New York Times: Companies in the Detroit area, where there is a dense population of Muslims, are leading the change. A McDonald’s there serves halal Chicken McNuggets; Walgreens has Arabic signs in its aisles. And now, Ikea, which recently opened a store in the suburb of Canton, Mich., that has had trouble attracting as many Muslim customers as it had hoped, has been touring local homes and talking...

For years, Janey Karp has battled depression and anxiety with the help of prescription drugs. Though millions of Americans do the same, Karp admits she is intensely private and can't help but feel stigmatized for needing medication to feel normal. So when the 53-year-old Palm Beach resident read the Walgreens printout attached to her prescription last week for the sleep aid Ambien, she couldn't believe her eyes. Typed in a field reserved for patient information and dated March 17, 2005, was "CrAzY!!" In another field, dated Sept. 30, 2004, it read: "She's really a psycho!!! Do not say her name...

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Four pharmacists who refused to sign a pledge promising to dispense the morning-after birth-control pill sued Walgreen drug stores Friday, alleging they were illegally fired. The lawsuits accuse Walgreen Co. of violating the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act. The pharmacists were being represented by the American Center for Law and Justice, a public-interest group founded by evangelist Pat Robertson. A new state rule requires pharmacies that sell federally approved contraceptives to fill prescriptions for emergency birth control "without delay" if they have the medication in stock. The rule is being challenged in federal court. In...

Washington DC, Dec. 09, 2005 (CNA) - Intervening in the heated debate about the mention of Christmas on the public square, Concerned Women for America (CWA) presented a first Christmas list showing which businesses are honouring the Reason for the Season (the birth of Jesus), which ones are not, and which have mixed records. It first lists the corporation ‘Nice’ or friendly to the Original Christmas tradition.  This year Macy's joins the NICE list because it has returned the explicit mention of Christmas and Merry Christmas to its stores and its ads. L.L. Bean, on the other hand, just barely...

Focus on the Family objects to donation to gay rights group. The conservative Christian group Focus on the Family has closed all its Wells Fargo accounts because the San Francisco bank contributed to a gay rights group that promised to use the funds to "fight ... the anti-gay industry." A Focus on the Family official would not disclose how much money the organization kept with Wells Fargo, its primary bank, but said the nonprofit group's income was $146 million last year. "We don't expect corporate America to do our bidding on the issues, but when they use the proceeds from...

A Southern Illinois abortion foe, backed by her local Catholic diocese, is asking consumers to pull their prescriptions from Walgreens until four pharmacists, on unpaid leave for refusing to agree to fill orders for the morning-after contraceptive pill, are reinstated. Ann Polka, manager for the Belleville Diocese's Project Rachel, a post-abortion healing program, is also asking regional residents to refrain from doing other shopping at the chain's stores. "This is an unjust action," Polka told the Belleville, Illinois, News-Democrat. "They are being let go because they couldn't in good conscience dispense the drugs." At issue is the Plan B morning-after...

You win some -- and you lose some. That adage seems to apply appropriately to one group's ongoing efforts to keep "Christ" in Christmas, at least on the retail front. According to the founder of Mississippi-based American Family Association (AFA), it is apparent that at least one retailer -- Walgreen's -- has gotten the message that it is not in their best interest to continue avoiding use of the phrase "Merry Christmas" in its advertising campaigns and in-store promotions. Speaking earlier today (Dec. 1) on American Family Radio, Donald E. Wildmon said an AFA supporter had heard from Walgreen's, indicating...

(AP) Walgreen Co., the nation's largest drugstore chain by revenue, said it has put four Illinois pharmacists in the St. Louis area on unpaid leave for refusing to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception in violation of a state rule. The four cited religious or moral objections to filling prescriptions for the morning-after pill and "have said they would like to maintain their right to refuse to dispense, and in Illinois that is not an option," Walgreen spokeswoman Tiffani Bruce said. A rule imposed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich in April requires Illinois pharmacies that sell contraceptives approved by the U.S. Food...

(AgapePress) - You win some -- and you lose some. That adage seems to apply appropriately to one group's ongoing efforts to keep "Christ" in Christmas, at least on the retail front. According to the founder of Mississippi-based American Family Association (AFA), it is apparent that at least one retailer -- Walgreen's -- has gotten the message that it is not in their best interest to continue avoiding use of the phrase "Merry Christmas" in its advertising campaigns and in-store promotions. Speaking earlier today (Dec. 1) on American Family Radio, Donald E. Wildmon said an AFA supporter had heard from...

HOLIDAY BLUESLowe's listens: 'Christmas trees' Chain dumps 'holiday' reference after WND report, complaints One day after a WorldNetDaily story brought national exposure, the home-improvement retailer Lowe's dropped references to "Holiday Trees" in favor of "Christmas Trees" only. As WND reported, a Lowe's store in Austin, Texas, featured a banner that referred in English to "Holiday Trees" but in Spanish said "Christmas Trees." The American Family Association says its supporters contacted Lowe's to express their displeasure. The company responded in a statement: "To ensure consistency of our message and to avoid confusion among our customers, we are now referring to the...

(KSDK) — Walgreens put four Illinois pharmacists on unpaid leave Monday for refusing to fill prescriptions for the "morning after pill." The pharmacists say they're standing up for their beliefs. Walgreens says they're violating state law. The "morning after pill" is also called Plan B. It is often prescribed to prevent or terminate pregnancy. But pharmacist John Menges says it is the one prescription he won't fill, "I can advise people what pharmacies to go to. I mean, I can help them in every way. But I can't actually fill them because of my religious belief." For this reason, Walgreens...

Thank you for your e-mail regarding Walgreens role as the official HIV/AIDS Prevention Sponsor for the 2006 Gay Games, an athletic event to be held in Chicago. As you are likely aware, we have heard from many people on this issue. As Walgreens CEO, I want you to know why we are doing this. Whether you disagree or agree, we think it only fair that you understand our reasoning. I cannot be more emphatic when I say that this sponsorship has everything to do with healthcare. We are advocating HIV/AIDS awareness. We are taking no position on the gay lifestyle....

A conservative Illinois Christian group is once again chastising a corporation for sponsoring the 2006 Gay Games in Chicago. The Illinois Family Institute in Glen Ellyn is squaring off against Walgreen Co. for its $100,000 contribution to Olympic-style games to be held in July. Walgreens joins PlanetOut Inc., which runs an online network for the gay community and the national gay television network Q Television, as a Platinum-level sponsor of the event. The Illinois Family Institute recently attacked Harris Bank and Kraft Foods for each contributing $25,000 to the Gay Games VII. "The Gay Games are about homosexuality, and I...

<p>The local Orlando news is reporting that an explosive device was set off outside a Walgreens drugstore in Winter Park. The burn mark is shown on the outside of the building wall. Employees called 911 for help and to my knowledge, all the employees are safe. No further information at this time and investigators are on the scene.</p>

TAMARAC, Fla. - A Walgreens employee allegedly stabbed a co-worker in an argument over who could microwave her soup first, authorities said. Both women wanted to use the microwave in the employee break room Wednesday afternoon, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office. While they were fighting over who could use the microwave first, Mellesia Grant grabbed a large kitchen knife off the counter and stabbed Merloze Tilme in the abdomen, the sheriff's office said. "They didn't get along to begin with. Who could use the microwave first became a major issue," Broward County Sheriff's Office spokesman Jim Leljedal said....

A West Peoria Walgreen's pharmacy may lose its state license because a pharmacist refused to fill a prescription for the morning-after pill. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation on Thursday notified three pharmacies of a November hearing on consumer complaints about them refusing to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception, marketed as Plan B.

Reading the post “Happy Holidays from Walgreens” raised my blood pressure again. Along with “Target” not allowing the “Salvation Army” bell ringers around their premises and ALL these other “Scrooge” activities by retailers and others is BS. America is a land of very diverse citizens. MOST are not offended by the beliefs of others. BUT when retailers, or other corporations, start dis-associating (by implication) from certain groups (such as Christians) for Political Correctness or other reasons they should expect a HUGE $$ backlash, especially from the Christians. You try to back them up against a wall – watch out. I...

My husband was going through the checkout line yesterday at Walgreens when the store clerk cheerfully bode him farewell with a "Happy Holidays!". My husband then gently corrected her with a "Merry Christmas". She then sheepishly told him under her breath .."we are not supposed to say that". I'm not sure if this is a local order or a nationwide policy, But I felt compelled to expose this corporate grinch for the hypocrite that it is. Sorry to post a vanity but I just had to get this off my chest. I, for one, will be changing pharmacies.

The most valuable real estate in a retail store is right at the checkout counter where impulse purchases happen. Anything a store puts here has a huge advantage in sales. I just returned from the Walgreens store in Fountain Hills AZ, where they had a small display of Farenheit 9/11 DVDs right next to the cash register. This was the only movie I saw in that vicinity. Since Walgreens isn't a movie store, it's not like F9/11 was stacked in with other DVDs. It was the only DVD there. Vendors work overtime trying to get their product placed in such...

Nipple-Free Zone A man's bare chest is too racy for Walgreens. BY AINA HUNTER When Calvin Johnson photographed merrymakers at a Fourth of July party hosted by gay activist-businessman-philanthropist Gregg Ammell and his partner, David Laws, Johnson had no idea it would be the last of the couple's fabulous parties. Weeks later, Ammell suffered a fatal heart attack, leaving his old friends with nothing but good memories. After the funeral, Johnson picked up the film he'd dropped off at a Lakewood Walgreens. Ammell's large back yard was full of sun that sweltering afternoon. In the midst of the party, he...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The family of a brain-damaged boy who received methadone instead of an anti-hyperactivity drug has asked for millions of dollars in sanctions against Walgreens. Attorneys for Joshua Dunbar made the request Friday, after a mistrial was declared when a store pharmacist testified that a prescription that Walgreens said proved it could account for all the methadone in its Espanola store was forged. Lawyers for the Dunbar family on Friday gave the court affidavits from jurors who said they had been prepared to return a verdict of perhaps $350 million or more in damages against Walgreens before the...