AmerisourceBergen has struck a $6.5bn deal to acquire the majority of the Alliance Healthcare businesseses from Walgreens Boots Alliance, giving it access to Alliance’s generics assets in Europe.

Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid encourage social distancing by offering OTC drugs and vitamins in drive-through services previously limited to Rx drugs windows. Walgreens also is restricting purchases of some items to prevent shortages.

Zantac marketer Sanofi says it’s unclear whether the product eventually will relaunch. In other recent consumer health and beauty recalls in US, a vitamin C-containing face mask is recalled following a “spike in complaints” about skin irritation and the insides of tubes of sodium chloride ophthalmic ointments made for Walgreens and CVS were found with materials used to make the containers.

Despite some previous uncertainty about sufficient funding commitments from members, the coalition of manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors is operational, with a meeting planned for early next year. It will oversee data governance systems for implementing the US supply chain safety law, a key element of the law's third phase set to go into effect November 2023.