Walgreens Turns To Robots To Help Ease Manpower Shortage

  • Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc WBA is planning to seek the help of automation for its drugstores to ease the pressure of the lack of manpower.
  • The company, faced with a shortage of pharmacists and pharmacist technicians, is setting up a network of automated, centralized drug-filling centers.
  • Walgreens' plan would cut the pharmacist workloads by at least 25% in addition to saving more than $1 billion a year in costs, the Wall Street Journal reported.
  • Through automation, pharmacists will have more time to attend to requirements, including vaccinations, patient outreach, and medical prescription.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic has created more demand for pharmacies as they took on the jobs of vaccination and testing.
  • Also ReadAs Moderna Grapples With Supply Shortage, FDA Gives Nod To Additional Lots of COVID-19 Booster
  • "Small chains up through the larger chains are all facing the labor shortage as well as increased demand for services," the report quoted Alecia Lashier, chief automation officer at iA.
  • iA is a provider of pharmacy automation software and technology in which Walgreens is a majority investor.
  • Price Action: WBA shares are trading higher by 0.64% at $31.60 in premarket on the last check Monday.
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