Towne Drugs Pharmacy a community fixture in Aspinwall since 1956
As some U.S. pharmacies struggle to stay afloat amid ongoing turmoil in the prescription reimbursement industry, one independent family-owned pharmacy in Aspinwall is dedicated to remaining open.
Towne Drugs Pharmacy in Aspinwall is co-owned by father/son pharmacist duo Bob Akanowicz and Jon Akanowicz, both of Hampton.
Both men know just about everyone who steps into their store along Commercial Avenue in Aspinwall’s business district.
The pharmacy opened in 1956. Bob Akanowicz bought Towne Drug from the late Sam Zuccaro in 1983.
Over the past decade, a shift in benefit reimbursements from pharmaceutical benefits managers have become problematic, according to the Akanowiczes.
“They’ve gotten more and more powerful and their contracts have gotten more aggressive,” Jon Akanowicz said. “Meaning they pay pharmacists less and less money to dispense prescriptions. So that’s causing pharmacies to cut their hours of operations, cut their staff to keep up with these lower reimbursements.”
Pharmacy benefit managers, known as PBMs, serve as third-party liaisons between insurance providers and drug manufacturers. They control about 80% of prescription claims in the U.S.
It’s common for a pharmacy to lose $50 to $200 on a prescription, Akanowicz said. “And these are lifesaving medications like Paxlovid, EpiPens, insulin and inhalers.”
In the past, prescription reimbursements to Towne Drugs averaged about $10 to $12 on every prescription filled.
“We’re losing money, so a lot of pharmacies right now are choosing not to stock these lifesaving medicines and are turning customers away,” Akanowicz said.
Akanowicz previously worked at Rite Aid in Fox Chapel Plaza, so he saw firsthand the corporate side of prescription reimbursements.
Since the closing of that Rite Aid, business at Towne Drugs has increased about 30% to 40% over the past four months.
Towne Drugs is filling between 150 to 200 more prescriptions daily, and staffing was increased to meet demand, including a few of the former Rite Aid employees.
Customers of Towne Drugs mostly hail from the Fox Chapel area and Morningside, Etna, Hampton and Highland Park.
Keeping the doors open at Towne Drugs isn’t easy, but both men are determined to fight and work hard to lobby and advocate for prescription reform.
There are three big PBMs nationwide — Express Scripts, CVS Caremark and Optum — and they are vertically integrated and often own the health insurance company that keeps customers in network.
“This can cut out small chains, pharmacies, independent pharmacies,” Akanowicz said.
In response to decreased reimbursements on certain prescriptions, Towne Drugs has had to make the difficult decision to not carry certain medications that are used for diabetes, GLP1s, medications for covid-19 and certain medications for anaphylactic reactions because they’re no longer sustainable to stock due to reimbursement issues.
Pittsburgh native and billionaire Mark Cuban announced on Aug. 6 a partnership with Giant Eagle in which customers in Giant Eagle’s five-state pharmacy network may be able to have their prescriptions filled for less by using the Cost Plus Drugs’ Team Cuban Card.
“It won’t help or hurt us. But it’s definitely going to bring awareness to the predatory practices that PBMs are using against retail pharmacies,” Akanowicz said.
In a previous interview with TribLive, Cuban lamented the fate facing some independent pharmacies.
“It’s awful what is happening with independent pharmacies,” Cuban said via email.
To provide more customer service amenities, Towne Drugs implemented curbside immunizations and a pick-up service along Commercial Avenue.
Bob Akanowicz no longer fills prescriptions and now serves as a delivery driver three days a week for at-home and assisted-living facility prescription deliveries.
“For me, it’s rewarding because I’m delivering to the people that have been with us for 30 to 40 years and now they’re older and they can’t get out,” Bob Akanowicz said. “They trust us. We’ve been a part of their lives and their families and now they’re our family. That’s our core values — serving the community. If we’re not here, who will take care of them?”
Putting the family in pharmacy
Jon Akanowicz, 44, serves as senior partner at Towne Drugs. He worked there as a youngster for his father and earned his pharmacy degree from Wilkes University.
He always wanted to pursue pharmacy. They’ve been co-owners for 15 years.
Bob Akanowicz graduated from Duquesne University in 1976 and was living in Sharpsburg when he wandered into Towne Drugs in Aspinwall and was offered a pharmacy job on the spot.
He took a second pharmacy job in Stowe Township and later spent five years working for a pharmaceutical company before buying Towne Drugs in December 1983.
Since its opening, Towne Drugs has gained a reputation in Aspinwall and beyond for going above and beyond for its customers.
“I don’t even like to call them customers. They’re friends,” said Bob Akanowicz, 74.
Stopping by Towne Drugs is akin to visiting a friend or family’s house. It’s not unusual to find customers mingling, chatting and sharing stories of their recent vacations or life events.
“One family in Fox Chapel had a lot of babies and we became friends, and I’ve been invited to kids’ Communions, graduations, weddings, birthday parties. Some people, when they’re sick, I’ll go and visit them. We go to their funerals because we’ve been with them. We’re serving multiple generations, and we’re proud of that,” Bob Akanowicz said.
Sometimes, free homemade lasagna is an unexpected prescription delivery perk for customers.
The elder Akanowicz is known for his Italian cooking. On a recent delivery day, he had several lasagnas stacked, packed and ready to go for his daily deliveries.
The father-son drugstore duo doesn’t rely on gimmicks or heavy social media, just old-fashioned community support.
“Our best promotion is our clientele. We don’t do billboards. Word of mouth is most effective and most gratifying. Families trust us to fill their prescriptions. We’re grateful for everyone, and we want to be there for them,” Bob Akanowicz said.
‘Trying our hardest’
Towne Drugs aims to avoid being one of the 300 pharmacies that closed in Pennsylvania this year.
“We’re trying our hardest,” Jon Akanowicz said. “This is a reality that’s happening all across the country. I’m a big advocate for reform.”
Towne Drugs is the sole independent pharmacy in the Fox Chapel area.
At one time, Aspinwall had more than four independent pharmacies in the small borough, Bob Akanowicz recalled.
Five Rite Aids closed within a 5-mile radius of Towne Drugs, leaving Giant Eagle and Towne Drugs as the two brick-and-mortar pharmacy options within the Fox Chapel Area School District.
“There’s all this new business, and there needs to be the right mix of profitable prescriptions. I never thought in all my years of pharmacy this would happen and I’d have to turn away a customer,” Jon Akanowicz said.
The Akanowiczes traveled to Washington, D.C., six months ago to lobby for PBM reform.
This summer, U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Fox Chapel, toured Towne Drugs to meet with area pharmacy owners to discuss the importance of community pharmacies and PBM reform to lower prescription drug prices.
“We’ve been in business before most pharmacies in the area, and we’re planning on being here long from now,” Bob Akanowicz said. “Jon has taken the torch.”
Towne Drugs Pharmacy, 227 Commercial Ave., Aspinwall; 412-782-2244; townedrugsrx.com.
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
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