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NEW YORK - In an effort to reduce lines at the pharmacy counter and enable pharmacists to have more time to interact with patients, drug chains increasingly are turning their attention to pharmacy kiosks.
It is an industry trend that undoubtedly is gaining steam and has even raised a few eyebrows as the ATM-like machines could actually cut down traditional face-to-face consultations between the pharmacist and the patients when they pick up their prescriptions. Nonetheless, more and more pharmacies are dipping their toes in the kiosk waters.
The biggest player currently in this arena is Duane Reade. The Manhattan-based retailer currently has more than 60 kiosks, called DR Express, in office locations with 2,000 or more employees, medical and hospital facilities, senior care centers and at some Duane Reade stores. The goal: to double the number of...