Are Walgreens and CVS Married?

When people ask if Walgreens and CVS are married, they’re really asking if these two giant pharmacy chains are part of the same company. They’re not. Walgreens and CVS are separate, competing drugstore chains that both sell prescriptions, over-the-counter medicine, and everyday essentials. They even fight for the same customers, run similar promotions, and have stores right across the street from each other in many towns. You’ll see both brands in nearly every U.S. city—but they don’t share ownership, management, or supply chains. This confusion happens because they look alike: same bright logos, same aisle layouts, same focus on health and convenience.

Both Walgreens and CVS have expanded beyond just selling pills. Walgreens partners with clinics for vaccines and basic care, while CVS owns Aetna, one of the biggest health insurers in the U.S., giving it control over both care delivery and payment. That’s a big difference. One is a pharmacy chain with health services; the other is a pharmacy chain that also runs insurance. Neither owns the other. Neither merged. Neither shares a CEO or board. They’re rivals, not relatives.

People mix them up because both use the same playbook: walk-in clinics, loyalty programs, same-day pickup, and pharmacy counters staffed by licensed pharmacists. But their histories are totally different. Walgreens started in 1901 in Illinois as a single soda fountain. CVS began in 1963 as a consumer value store selling cosmetics and health items. One grew from a soda shop; the other from a discount retailer. They both became pharmacy giants, but they took different roads to get there.

If you’re looking at your local drugstore and wondering who runs it, check the logo. Walgreens has a blue and white swirl. CVS has a red and white heart. One is not a branch of the other. And no, they didn’t merge in 2025, or 2020, or ever. The idea that they’re "married" is just a myth that sticks because they’re so similar in how they serve you.

What you will find in the articles below is real, practical info about health systems, herbal remedies, and medical choices—like how Ayurveda works over time, what to expect after knee surgery, or whether herbal supplements actually do anything. None of these posts are about pharmacy chains. But if you’re trying to understand how modern healthcare works—where your medicine comes from, who’s behind the counter, or why your prescription costs what it does—then you’re in the right place. These articles cut through the noise and give you facts you can use.