NACDS Leaders Outline Priorities for Pharmacy's Future at Annual Meeting

Retailer-supplier collaboration and industry unity are key to advancing pharmacy modernization and advocacy.

Apr. 19, 2026 at 8:12pm

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A minimalist, high-end studio photograph featuring a carefully arranged collection of smooth, geometric objects in muted tones, conceptually representing the pharmacy industry's strategic priorities.A premium, polished still life symbolizes the pharmacy industry's strategic focus on unity, advocacy, and modernization to shape the future of healthcare.Palm Beach Today

At the 2026 National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Annual Meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, NACDS board chair Rick Gates and president and CEO Steven Anderson set the stage for the week ahead. They highlighted the forces reshaping healthcare, the urgency of advancing key policy priorities, and the enduring strength of retailer-supplier collaboration as the industry works to lead change rather than just respond to it.

Why it matters

As the pharmacy industry faces its most significant transformation in a generation, NACDS is positioning itself and its members to be proactive leaders in shaping the future of healthcare. By emphasizing the power of unity across retailers and suppliers, NACDS aims to drive meaningful progress on priorities like pharmacy modernization, elevating community pharmacy, and advancing unified advocacy.

The details

During the Sunday morning Business Program, Gates and Anderson reaffirmed retailer-supplier collaboration as a cornerstone of NACDS' mission. They highlighted the industry's focus on three key priorities: accelerating pharmacy modernization, elevating community pharmacy, and advancing unified advocacy. Gates outlined two overarching priorities emerging from NACDS' strategic planning process: shaping the future of pharmacy to have a broader impact in the healthcare ecosystem, and strengthening member and associate value.

  • The 2026 NACDS Annual Meeting took place in Palm Beach, Florida.
  • The Sunday morning Business Program featured the keynote remarks from NACDS leaders.

The players

Rick Gates

NACDS board chair and chief pharmacy officer at Walgreens.

Steven Anderson

NACDS president and CEO.

Doris Kearns Goodwin

Celebrated presidential historian and author who delivered a keynote address.

Nathalie Gerschtein

CEO, U.S. and President, North America, Haleon, who shared insights as a supplier partner.

Haleon

A supplier partner that sponsored the Sunday Business Program.

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What they’re saying

“When we talk about one voice, we mean the entire store. Front end, pharmacy, and omnichannel — working together. Because patients don't experience us in silos. They experience one destination. One promise.”

— Rick Gates, NACDS board chair and chief pharmacy officer at Walgreens

“Let's continue to lead — and act — with one voice. Not just when it's easy. But especially when it's hard. Because alignment is what turns good ideas into real progress.”

— Rick Gates, NACDS board chair and chief pharmacy officer at Walgreens

“'Rise' was not a slogan. It was conviction. We did not know how long the crisis would last. We did not know how severe it would become. But we knew who we were. And we knew what leadership required.”

— Steven Anderson, NACDS president and CEO

“There are moments when industries and their trade associations are tested. And in those moments, both must rise together. We have risen before. And if we rise again — united, focused, disciplined — we will not simply adapt to the future. We will define it.”

— Steven Anderson, NACDS president and CEO

“I know the challenges are real. But I also know this room moves outcomes when it moves together. When we build NACDS for the future — and when we continue to shape the headlines instead of chase them — that's when this industry reaches its full potential.”

— Rick Gates, NACDS board chair and chief pharmacy officer at Walgreens

What’s next

The 2026 NACDS Annual Meeting will continue throughout the week, with the Tuesday Business Program sponsored by Kenvue.

The takeaway

NACDS is positioning the pharmacy industry to be proactive leaders in shaping the future of healthcare, with a focus on unity, advocacy, and modernization. By aligning retailers and suppliers, the association aims to drive meaningful progress on key priorities and define the industry's path forward.