As a healthcare company, you have a higher calling, one shareholder representative, Cathy Rowan of Trinity Health, told Walgreens executive chairman Jim Skinner at the companys annual shareholders meeting last month in New York
FDA head Scott Gottlieb wants to meet with Walgreens to address "their record of violative tobacco sales to youth. In a statement Thursday, Gottlieb said said he will be "writing the corporate management of Walgreens and requesting a meeting with them to discuss whether there is a corporate-wide issue related to their stores non-compliance." The FDAs warning to Walgreens comes as the giant retailer pushes further into the business of healthcare, partnering with health insurers, doctors, urgent care centers and adding lab-testing inside its stores
Signs posted to the 26th Street and Minnesota Avenue location say the drug store chain has implemented new tobacco rules this month, restricting the sale of any tobacco products to customers who are 21 or older, with no exceptions for military personnel. The change reflects a policy Walgreens corporate offices announced months ago after a probe by the U.S
In some stores, the chain has reduced the visibility of cigarettes and tobacco while also turning over a smattering of former cigarette shelf space to smoking cessation products