CVS has threatened to close 23 pharmacies in Arkansas after the state passed a law banning companies that own pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from also operating pharmacies starting in 2026.

But CVS also has a lot of competition in the retail pharmacy space, including independent pharmacies, major retail chains like Walgreens and Walmart, and online options like Amazon. Experts told Healthcare Brew CVS closures could open the door for other retailers to grow their footprints in the state.

“There’s definitely an opportunity for competitors broadly to capture some of the market share. But how much of an opportunity, I think, certainly depends on each specific bigger brand,” Rajiv Leventhal, senior analyst in digital health at research firm eMarketer, said.

Shifting market share? About 1 in 3 retail pharmacies closed across the US between 2010 and 2021 the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported in May, 100 pharmacies have closed in the state since 2020.

Here’s how the pharmacy space could be impacted.—CM

Upfronts week is a tried-and-true tradition in the TV and marketing worlds. Healthcare? Not so much.

But that hasn’t stopped point-of-care digital health company PatientPoint from participating in the annual event the last two years.

Typically, upfronts include a presentation from major media networks and then a commercial commitment component from companies interested in advertising with that media company’s programming, Kasha Cacy, chief media officer at full-service agency Known, told Healthcare Brew. Often these presentations are full of glitz and glam, celebrity appearances, and lots of media bragging.

At traditional upfront presentations, the goal is to lock in Q4 TV inventory, get a competitive price advantage, and find advertisers for popular programming like live sports and events. “Those three factors tend not to be as strongly at play in a healthcare space as they are in electronics or some of the other spaces,” Cacy said.

Are upfronts the future of healthcare?—NO

The CDC’s Division of Oral Health has been gone since April 1, and dentists are lining up to do what they do best: fill the cavity left in its absence.

Dental care leaders previously told Healthcare Brew they hope private industry will supplement the CDC’s canceled work, and now it appears that’s happening.

The Association for Dental Safety (ADS), an international membership organization, announced Tuesday it’s starting a group called the ADS Institute for Dental Safety and Science to pick up where the CDC left off.

In the federal oral health division’s absence, the group wants to oversee industry guidelines for infection control in dental healthcare settings, according to a release. These guidelines cover everything from how to sterilize instruments to which PPE to wear. Though not inherently mandatory, some states have made these rules part of laws that govern dental professionals, Michelle Lee, who will serve as the institute’s executive director and currently serves as ADS executive director, told us.

Learn more about these guidelines here.—CC