Walgreens battles CVS for MA retail clinic market

Over the past year, drugstore chain CVS has engaged in a protracted battle to get permission to open its MinuteClinics in locations across the Boston metro area. The effort involved not only getting permission from state regulators, but also fighting the displeasure of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, who opposes the retail clinic model. Despite the struggles CVS has faced, fellow drugstore giant Walgreens has decided that it, too, wants a piece of the Boston retail clinic market, seeking state approval to open such clinics inside 16 of its Massachusetts stores. Walgreens' Take Care Health Systems subsidiary has asked permission to build clinics stretching across a broad swath of the state. Its plans also include opening a clinic in Roxbury, a move which is likely to further upset Mayor Menino. Walgreens, which already operates 173 clinics in 14 states, hopes to open its first Massachusetts clinics in the fall. All told, it expects to have 400 clinics running across the U.S. by the end of this year.

To learn more about Walgreens' efforts:
- read this article from The Boston Globe

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