6 minute read
INDUSTRY NEWS
from DSN-1022
by ensembleiq
Blue Echo Care, Hisamitsu Impress at ECRM’s Health Care Session
Blue Echo Care won the Drug Store News Buyers’ Choice Award for its Cleanse Right At-Home Ear Wax Removal Spiral during ECRM’s Health Care session in August. Hisamitsu was a finalist for its Salonpas Lidocaine Flex Patch. The products were selected from dozens of entries submitted by participating suppliers. Buyers were able to evaluate each entry and cast their votes based on product packaging and innovation via the Drug Store News-branded Buyers’ Choice Awards section of the ECRM Connect platform. “Addressing unique consumer needs is the hallmark of innovative brands, and both Buyers’ Choice Award winners accomplish this,” said Craig Chmielowicz, senior vice president of health and beauty care at ECRM. “One provides a safe alternative for removing ear wax while the other developed a pain patch that stays put regardless of how much you move. Congratulations to both winners.”
Blue Echo Care, the creators of the Cleanse Right brand of ear wax removers, specializes in affordable, American-made, at-home healthcare products. With 12 million Americans visiting the hospital every year to remove ear wax blockages, it’s the mission of Blue Echo Care to normalize the conversation around at-home health care, particularly when it comes to ear wax.
The brand’s Cleanse Right At-Home Ear Wax Removal Spiral is for daily use in removing ear wax and is a safe alternative to cotton swabs. Users simply insert the soft, spiral silicone tip into the ear and turn clockwise.
The products are sold as a part of two different kits that include carbamide peroxide ear drops and irrigation devices, both of which have proven efficacy in removing ear wax blockages, according to the company.
The Salonpas brand of topical pain medication is sold in the United States by Hisamitsu America, a Japanese pharmaceutical company that was founded in 1847 and began operations in the U.S. market in 1987. The Salonpas brand is recognized by Euromonitor as the “World’s No. 1 OTC Topical Analgesic Patch Brand” and the “No. 1 Doctor Recommended OTC Pain Relief Patches,” based on IQVIA Pro Voice survey data.
The Salonpas Lidocaine Flex Patch was developed to address the need for a lidocaine patch that was designed to move, bend and flex with the contours of the body and not fall off.
The product provides the maximum OTC strength of lidocaine 4% in a stretchable, thin fabric. Wegmans discontinued its SCAN app on Sept. 18, according to a company spokesperson.
The app allows shoppers to scan items, pay and bag purchases as they move through the store.
The spokesperson provided a statement to Drug Store News, which said, “Early in the pandemic, we quickly rolled out our SCAN app to provide a contactless in-store shopping option. SCAN users have told us they love the app and convenience it offers. Unfortunately, the losses we are experiencing prevent us from continuing to make it available in its current state.”
The statement continued, “We’ve made the decision to turn off the app until we can make improvements that will meet the needs of our customers and business. We’ve learned a lot, and we will continue to introduce new digital solutions to streamline the shopping experience for the future.”
Wegmans did not comment on whether the retailer was offering some app users a gift certificate or some type of “reward.”
Wegmans to Drop to Drop SCAN App SCAN App
app on Sept. 18, according to a company spokesperson.
The app allows shoppers to scan items, pay and bag purchases as they move through the store.
The spokesperson provided a statement to News, which said, “Early in the pandemic, we quickly rolled out our SCAN app to provide a contactless in-store shopping option. SCAN users have told us they love the app and convenience it offers. Unfortunately, the losses we are experiencing prevent us from continuing to make it available in its current state.”
The statement continued, “We’ve made the decision to turn off the app until we can make improvements that will meet the needs of our customers and business. We’ve learned a lot, and we will continue to introduce new digital solutions to streamline the shopping experience for the future.”
Wegmans did not comment on whether the retailer was offering some app users a gift certificate or some type of “reward.”
Total Resources International, or TRI, has launched a wound care kit as part of its flagship Be Smart Get Prepared brand to treat wounds associated with diabetes, specifically foot and leg ulcers.
Developed with the supervision of a wound care doctor, the Be Smart Get Prepared Tender Lovin’ Diabetic Wound Care Kit is a 70-piece kit that accommodates five or more wound dressing changes. It features Silvex Wound Gel, silicone foam pads, sterile gauzes, bandages, tapes, scissors, a wound care guide and more.
The goal for the wound kit is “infection prevention,” according to the company. For most diabetic patients, wounds often take longer to heal or do not heal properly. It is common for poorly treated wounds to develop infections, which can lead to life-threatening complications.
The Tender Lovin’ Diabetic Wound Care Kit will be available at major retailers in 2023.
Walmart, UnitedHealth Group Partner on Health Services
Walmart and UnitedHealth Group announced the beginning of an initial 10-year, wide-ranging collaboration. Together, the companies will work to bring together the collective expertise of serving millions with affordable health services that improve health outcomes and the patient experience.
Slated to begin in 2023 with 15 Walmart Health locations in Florida and Georgia, the companies will expand their collaboration to additional locations over time. The end goal, the companies said, is serving seniors and Medicare beneficiaries in value-based arrangements through multiple Medicare Advantage plans.
“We’re on a journey to transform health care, connecting more people to the right care at the right time — at a cost that makes sense,” said Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart. “This collaboration puts the patient at the center of health care by leveraging the strength and complementary skill sets of our two companies to accelerate access to quality care.”
Optum, a UnitedHealth Group business, will help Walmart Health clinicians with analytics and decision support tools to deliver comprehensive value-based care that can help drive positive health outcomes for seniors and Medicare beneficiaries. These capabilities will enhance the care already provided at Walmart Health centers, which deliver quality, accessible care through a collaborative, teambased delivery model, and will help accelerate the transition to value-based care by enabling clinicians to focus on patient outcomes, the company said.
Beginning in January 2023, the collaboration will include a co-branded Medicare Advantage plan in Georgia, UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage Walmart Flex (HMO-POS). Also in January, Walmart Health Virtual Care will be in network for commercial members in UnitedHealthcare’s Choice Plus PPO plan, giving consumers another option to access care when and where they want it.
Eventually, the collaboration aims to serve even more people, including those across commercial and Medicaid plans, by providing access to fresh food and enhancing current initiatives to address social determinants of health, overthe-counter and prescription medications, and dental and vision services, Walmart noted.
