Check out how generic drugs cut into June pharmacy sales at Rite Aid.

The No. 3 U.S. drugstore chain said its pharmacy same-store sales fell 0.5 percent, as generic drugs were introduced and allergy medicine Zyrtec was switched to over-the-counter status.

Generic drug rollouts hurt rival Walgreen as well. That company said a day earlier those drugs cut into its pharmacy same-store sales by 2.1 percentage points. 

Drugstores, in general, have been facing more competition from grocery stores and discounters like Wal-Mart, which have been offering discounts on a slew of prescription drugs.

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Check out the quarterly results at Walgreen, one of the largest U.S. drugstore operators.

The company posted a 2 percent increase in quarterly profit, amid a weak U.S. economy and slowing growth in sales of prescription drugs —  in the reported quarter, Zyrtec was switched to over-the-counter status.

And a slower-than-usual flu season — (good for you and me) – wasn’t so good for Walgreen. The company also pointed to the milder flu period for a slowdown in prescription drug sales volume in the quarter.

The company said it is on track to beat its goal of opening 550 new drugstores this year — and perhaps even come to the rescue of cash-strapped shoppers in the process.

“We’re adding neighborhood locations for today’s customer who is searching for value and struggling with high gas prices,” President Greg Wasson said in a statement on Monday.

As of May 31, the company operated 6,727 store locations in 49 states, but will be in all 50 states when it opens its first Alaska stores in 2009.

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(Photo: Reuters)

Check out the Easter boost in drugstore land.
 
Drugstore chains have been hurt by the weak U.S. economy of late, especially in the nonprescription part of the store.
 
But Easter seems to have helped at least one of the largest drugstore chains: Walgreen’s.
 
Walgreen Co said strong sales of Easter merchandise helped it post better-than-expected general merchandise sales in March. And they aren’t just talking about the fact that Easter came early this year, moving up purchases that would normally have occurred in April.
 
“The company recorded strong Easter seasonal sales, and front-end sales exceeded expectations for the month despite the slowing economy,” it said in a news release.
 
Of course, those front-end sales were needed to offset tepid prescription drug sales. The switch of allergy medicine Zyrtec to over-the-counter status, and a slower flu season for prescriptions hurt sales in that area as did an influx of lower-priced generic drugs in the past 12-months.
 
Still, for at least a month, it was chocolate bunnies to the rescue.
 
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(Reuters photo)

Check out Walgreens’ push into health services

The drug store chain took a big step toward expanding beyond its retail business by announcing it planned to buy two health-care companies, publicly traded I-trax and privately held Whole Health Management.

The retailer has created a health and wellness division to manage health centers and pharmacies at worksites. Walgreen already operates consumer clinics in some of its stores, but now it sees a big opportunity to help companies lower their health costs.

“The story here is growth,” CEO Jeffrey Rein said.

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(Photo: Reuters)