Walmart to put 7-day cap on Rx for opioids
Walmart Inc. pharmacies will begin limiting first-time opioid prescriptions to a seven-day supply or less as part of the company's efforts to help curb opioid abuse.
The Bentonville-based retailer said Monday that the limit will be enforced at all Walmart and Sam's Club locations within 60 days, and pharmacies also will restrict the dosage to a maximum of 50 morphine milligram equivalents per day. The initiative is aligned with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines, according to Walmart.
Walmart also plans to require e-prescriptions for controlled substances beginning Jan. 1, 2020. The company said e-prescriptions are less prone to errors and can't be altered or copied.
An estimated 115 Americans die, on average, each day from an opioid overdose, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mary Beth Hayes, Walmart's executive vice president for health and wellness, said in a statement the company is creating solutions to address the "critical issue facing the patients and communities we serve."
-- Robbie Neiswanger
March jobless rate up in state metro areas
The March unemployment rate rose in all seven metropolitan statistical areas in Arkansas compared with March last year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said.
Northwest Arkansas' unemployment rate was 2.8 percent in March, the lowest in the state. That compared with 2.5 percent in March last year.
Arkansas' unemployment rate in March was 3.8 percent. The national rate was 3.9 percent in April.
Other March unemployment rates in Arkansas metropolitan areas compared with March last year were Jonesboro, 3.3 percent, up from 3.0 percent; Little Rock, 3.6 percent, up from 3.2 percent; Fort Smith, 4.2 percent, up from 4.1 percent; Hot Springs, 4.3 percent, up from 3.7 percent; Texarkana, 4.7 percent, up from 4.5 percent; and Pine Bluff, 5.3 percent, up from 4.9 percent.
-- David Smith
Arkansas Index gains 0.31 to end at 400.93
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, was up 0.31 to 400.93 Monday.
"Wall Street climbed on Monday, boosted by Apple's sixth-straight day of gains and closing at a new high combined with a surge in oil prices to their highest since 2014," said Chris Harkins, managing director with Raymond James & Associates in Little Rock.
Total volume for the index was 26.6 million shares.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business on 05/08/2018