Newton's Keyes Drug to Renovate Comm. Ave. Pharmacy

NEWTON, MA – Longstanding Newton pharmacy Keyes Drug announced massive renovations to its Commonwealth Avenue store Monday.

The updates include an overhaul of the pharmacy area, including new flooring, shelving, display cases, counters, energy-efficient lighting and less cosmetic changes like a new private consultation and immunization room, additional checkout areas and two compounding labs.

"We are modernizing and re-tooling our pharmacy with an eye toward meeting the demands of today’s consumer, from providing a broad array of health and wellness products to custom compounded medications designed for a patient’s particular needs," said co-owner and pharmacist Ray Dinno in a statement. "Our customers have many choices in Newton, so we want to provide them with a comprehensive wellness experience that they can’t necessarily get elsewhere."

Compounding is the creation of customized medicine from raw ingredients, a practice used when typical off-the-shelf remedies are not sufficient for a patient. The labs will have their own heating, ventilation, air conditioning and filtration systems, and be available for public viewing.

Keyes Drug plans to broaden its inventory of medication and nutritional supplements based on customer demand and feedback; additionally, it has hired a director of health and wellness who will be available for private consultations.

"Keyes Drug has been serving the community for over 130 years and we are excited to continue to meet the needs of our growing customer base by improving our pharmacy," said co-owner and pharmacist Saad Dinno in a statement. "Newton’s oldest pharmacy will now also be Newton’s newest."

The pharmacy at 2090 Commonwealth Ave. will remain open during the renovations, which are expected to be completed in early 2017.

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