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Walgreens (WBA) Launches Rx Savings Finder Digital Tool

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Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA - Free Report) recently announced the launch of Rx Savings Finder — a simple-to-use digital tool designed to help customers save money on prescription medications. The new tool consolidates free, third-party discount cards, providing patients with a quick and easy way to find lower prices on their Walgreens medications.

Rx Savings Finder has been introduced in collaboration with RxSense, a high-growth healthcare technology company providing industry-leading solutions for pharmacy benefits and prescription savings. The latest development will enhance Walgreens’ evolving suite of Pharmacy Solutions within the U.S. Retail Pharmacy segment.

Significance of the Launch

Per Walgreens’ chief pharmacy officer, rising inflationary trends can have serious implications on health as well, alongside the usual price increases. The company expresses concern by referencing published data, which shows that more than one-third of Americans have avoided a prescription refill to reduce costs, with more than 131 million Americans taking at least one prescription medication.

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Against this backdrop, Walgreens’ new digital tool helps alleviate cost concerns for patients by offering savings on thousands of medications and providing transparent pricing before they reach the checkout counter. By consolidating the search process across multiple discount card websites, the company makes efforts to save the patient’s valuable time and reduce the cost of vital medications.

Alongside empowering customers to find lower deals at Walgreens, the company is taking an important step in alleviating the workload of pharmacists. For its pilot program, WBA received an overwhelmingly positive response, with both customers and pharmacy staff reporting significant time and cost savings. Walgreens’ officer shares a promising instance involving a pharmacist’s recent account, wherein the Rx Savings Finder tool has helped a customer save more than $75 on prescriptions during a single visit.

More on the News

The Rx Savings Finder tool is currently available at all Walgreens pharmacies nationwide at no cost. Patients can access the discount card prices by text messages or emails, which can be presented to a Walgreens pharmacy team member so that the savings can be applied to the price of their prescription medications. While Rx Savings Finder cannot be combined with or applied to prescription drug insurance, the prices available through prescription coupons can be less expensive than a copay.

On an impressive note, WBA’s digital innovations, spanning telepharmacy, micro-fulfillment and cutting-edge technologies, align with the evolving needs of patients and pharmacists. Beyond the conventional role of medication dispensing, Walgreens’ vision encompasses fostering meaningful patient connections, looking at their holistic health profiles and forging collaborations with healthcare partners for a more comprehensive and community-centric approach to healthcare.

Industry Prospects

Per a Research report, the global pharmacy market was valued at $1.01 trillion in 2020 and is expected to witness a CAGR of 4.3% up to 2028.

Recent Performance of the US Retail Pharmacy Segment

Walgreens’ trusted brand, deep community relationships and convenience form the foundation of its pharmacy business and the platform for growth as it expands throughout other areas of health care. In September, the company exited fiscal 2023 with Pharmacy and Retail components comprising 74% and 26%, respectively, of the U.S. Retail Pharmacy segment’s fiscal sales.  

In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023, U.S. Pharmacy comp sales increased 9.2%, driven by brand inflation, mix impacts and comp script growth. A weaker-than-normal respiratory season and the impact of Medicaid redeterminations have resulted in a weaker overall prescription market during the quarter.

Moreover, the U.S. Retail business was impacted by a weaker-than-normal respiratory season and a continued shift in consumer behavior, driven by a challenging macroeconomic environment. These factors led to the comparable sales decline of 3.3% in the fourth quarter.

Price Performance

In the past six months, WBA shares have decreased 36.1% compared with the industry’s fall of 11.5%.

Zacks Rank and Key Picks

Walgreens currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Some better-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are Haemonetics (HAE - Free Report) , Insulet (PODD - Free Report) and DexCom (DXCM - Free Report) . Haemonetics and DexCom each presently carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), and Insulet sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Haemonetics’ stock has decreased 6.1% in the past year. Earnings estimates for Haemonetics have increased from $3.82 to $3.89 in 2023 and $4.07 to $4.15 in 2024 in the past 30 days.

HAE’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 16.1%. In the last reported quarter, it posted an earnings surprise of 5.3%.

Estimates for Insulet’s 2023 earnings per share have increased from $1.61 to $1.91 in the past 30 days. Shares of the company have dropped 38.6% in the past year compared with the industry’s decline of 6.5%.

PODD’s earnings surpassed estimates in all the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 105.1%. In the last reported quarter, it delivered an average earnings surprise of 77.4%.

Estimates for DexCom’s 2023 earnings per share have increased from $1.39 to $1.43 in the past 30 days. Shares of the company have fallen 2.2% in the past year compared with the industry’s decline of 7.8%.

DXCM’s earnings surpassed estimates in all the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 36.4%. In the last reported quarter, it delivered an average earnings surprise of 47.1%.

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