CVS sued by Walgreen for blocking access

NASHVILLE – Walgreen Co., which has more locations than any U.S. drugstore chain, has sued rival CVS Caremark Corp. for allegedly blocking access to a Tennessee mail-order prescription program, Bloomberg News reported this month.
CVS prevented Walgreen from getting the same terms for a mail-order plan offered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Tennessee, according to an Aug. 1 complaint filed in federal court in Nashville, Tenn. Walgreen claims CVS is the only pharmacy able to dispense drugs by mail through the program.
“Caremark’s willful and unlawful actions have damaged Walgreens in an amount to be proven at trial,” the Deerfield, Ill., company said in the filing.
CVS, based in Woonsocket, acquired Nashville- based Caremark RX Inc., a prescription drug plan administrator, in March 2007.
In addition to the money damages, Walgreen seeks a court order barring CVS from interfering with its ability to enter the mail-order program, which typically serves consumers with long-term prescriptions to treat on-going medical conditions.
“We deny the allegations made by Walgreens in its lawsuit,” CVS spokeswoman Christine Cramer said. &#8226