Below are seven key moves Walmart, CVS and Walgreens have made in 2021, listed in the order they were reported by Becker's Hospital Review:
- Walmart launched a less expensive, private label version of analog insulin for diabetes patients who struggle to afford their medication. Novo Nordisk will manufacture the insulin, called ReliOn NovoLog.
- Walmart began offering a prescription drug savings program to members of its Walmart+ program. The program, called Walmart+ Rx for less, offers discounts of up to 85 percent on thousands of commonly prescribed drugs, including heart health, mental health, allergy and diabetes drugs.
- Walgreens Boots Alliance completed the sale of its wholesaling arm, Alliance Healthcare, to AmerisourceBergen for $6.5 billion.
- CVS Health launched a business to help connect people to clinical trials. It's intended to drive greater access to clinical trials and create a better experience for participants to improve retention rates.
- CVS Health rolled out its $100 million venture fund, which funds projects and innovations from digital healthcare and tech companies.
- CVS Health launched a new medical alert system designed to protect seniors living at home. The system, called Symphony, is a suite of in-home and wearable sensors that monitors for falls, motion and room temperature and provides 24/7 personal emergency response when needed.
- Walgreens said it will roll out credit and debit cards in the second half of 2021. The company is launching a credit card issued by Synchrony and a prepaid debit card, both powered by Mastercard.