The flu season has so far proven fatal for more than two-dozen children but Walgreens is seeing the positive from the epidemic.
Walgreens Co. posted its monthly sales numbers and saw a 3.7 percent increase, more than double than what the company expected. Walgreens first expected sales to increase by 1.5 percent.
A big reason for the boost in sales is the active flu season and prescription orders. Prescription orders were hurt last year after a contract dispute with pharmacy-benefits manager Express Scripts Holding Co., leading to prescriptions transferred to rival companies. Walgreens and Express Scripts have since resolved their issues and signed into a multiyear agreement, which was put into place last September.
The 3.7 percent increase is good news for the company in comparison to 2012 January numbers when sales dropped by 4.6 percent.
According to MarketWatch, Walgreens provides the most flu vaccines compared to any other U.S. retailer. Walgreen have noted its pharmacies and clinics dispensed 6.9 million flu shots since the beginning of the season, a 25 percent increase from a year earlier. Over-the-counter treatments also saw a boost in sales.
Rivals such as Rite Aid Corp. saw sales up 0.3 percent while CVS Caremark does not release monthly figures but noted it will be lower.
The flu season is expected to peak this month. Symptoms of the virus include fever, sore throat, chills, a cough, runny or stuffy nose, headaches, muscle or body aches, fatigue, and potentially diarrhea and vomiting. Infants will often experience poor circulation, lethargy, swollen glands, and a lack of appetite.
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