Independent Pharmacy: AI, Consolidation & Fighting for Every Dollar | TWIRx

Jesse McCullough (0:02)

Hey, everyone, Jesse McCullough here with the 31 Day Challenge. I'd like to start out just by giving thanks to Todd and the whole team at the Pharmacy Podcast Network. I appreciate the opportunity to share some unique challenges with the This Week in Pharmacy audience. For those of you who may not be familiar with the 31 Day Challenge, this is actually our second year to implement the 31 Day Challenge. This is something that coincides with American Pharmacists Month. The idea came from, is there something that we can do to encourage and equip and enhance and empower pharmacists throughout American Pharmacists Month? No matter what discipline of pharmacy you find yourself working in, whatever that area of practice may be.

The idea became this 31 Day Challenge.

The way it operates is on a daily basis. There's a new video released primarily on LinkedIn and now this year, I'm on YouTube. I got sophisticated, but the challenge features just some little thing that you can do that would make life better for you or your team or the people that you serve. So with that, the challenge kicked off on October 1st yesterday as of this recording. And I want to invite you to be a part of that. Follow along, you know, find a couple of people to follow along with. I think you'll find it to be well worth your time and it'll be a fun and encouraging and uplifting time. That said, Todd asked me if I would give a special challenge to the This Week in Pharmacy audience. And that's what I'm here to do today. I'm going to give you a special challenge. This is a very simple thing. It's something that you can actually do right now.

Obviously, you find value in the Pharmacy Podcast Network. You find value in this particular episode that you are listening to. And what I want to invite you to do, what I want to challenge you to do is to share this episode with at least two colleagues. Find at least two colleagues that you can just hit the share button from however it is that you are consuming this content and invite them to be a part of it as well.

Now I also understand that the Pharmacy Podcast Network has a number of different shows, a number of different hosts, and they all deliver tremendous value. What I would also encourage you to do is find one of those shows, find one of those episodes, find one of those hosts and take one of those podcasts and share that with some colleagues as well. For those of you who say, I don't know which colleagues to send this to, feel free just to share it on social media, on whatever your platform of choice is. But do something to help elevate and get the word out, and just give some type of encouragement to our fellow pharmacists that are out and doing the good work that serves our communities so well. With that, I'm going to wrap up this particular edition, but I will see you back here next week with another challenge. Have a great week everybody.

SPEAKER_2 (3:18)

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SPEAKER_3 (4:26)

You are listening to the global network of podcasters dedicated to the pharmacy profession. Welcome to the Pharmacy Podcast Network.

SPEAKER_2 (5:03)

On this week in Pharmacy, we head into NCPA 2026 with Independent Community Pharmacy front and center, from artificial intelligence and consolidation to supply chain economics and policy reform. We start with the TWIRx Rumor Mill, behind the counterintelligence, looking at three developing stories worth watching. First, another massive pharmacy transaction may be coming. The owner of Walgreens Boots Alliance is reportedly nearing a deal to sell UK pharmacy giant boots to the Weston family in a transaction valued at roughly $9 billion, including debt.

The Weston interests already control Loblaw Companies and Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada.