How October sales at 30 chains compared with October 2008:

Summary of sales at stores open at least a year in October for drugstore chains, with percentage increase or decrease over the same month last year.

By Jessica Wohl

Drugstore operator and pharmacy benefits manager CVS Caremark Corp. is scheduled to report its third-quarter results Thursday morning. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst commentary for the period.

Drugstore chain Walgreen Co. said Tuesday sales at locations open at least one year rose 4.9 percent in October due to high demand for seasonal flu shots.

The meth problem in Union has gotten so bad that someone with a drug habit stole the light shades outside Marilyn Roark's house. She got them back, but they were unusable.

Stocks logged their best quarter in 11 years, helped  by the weak dollar, despite today's soft landing.

Stocks retreated Tuesday as weak readings on manufacturing and jobs offset a a report that showed the economy wasn't in as bad a shape as first expected over the summer.

Futures indicated a positive open for Wall Street on Tuesday, the last day of the third quarter, as European stocks rose and were set to lock in their best quarterly performance in nearly a decade.

Stocks pushed higher Tuesday but investors were tentative after Monday's M&A-inspired rally.

Major US companies are bracing for a potentially stronger strain of swine flu this year that could threaten the nation's already fragile economic recovery.

Stocks pushed higher Tuesday but investors were tentative after Monday's M&A-inspired rally.

Futures indicated a very slight negative open for Wall Street on Tuesday as trade remained subdued after Monday's M&A-inspired rally.

Rite Aid Corp. reported a smaller second-quarter loss than a year ago as it cut expenses, but the nation's third-largest drugstore operator lowered its expectations for the fiscal year.

Among the many hurdles facing President Barack Obama's plan to revamp the nation's health care system is a shortage of primary care physicians — those legions of overworked doctors who provide the front line of medical care for both the sick and those hoping to stay healthy.