Talk about big news. The announcement that Walgreens is purchasing Rite Aid in a $17.2 billion deal puts together the nation’s second and third largest pharmacy chains. The combined pharmacy giants will have nearly 13,000 U.S. stores. That would catapult the merged company above CVS, which has 7,800 stores. The deal, which will have to pass antitrust review, is another sign of increased consolidation in the health care industry. As for now, Rite Aid (RAD) stores would keep their names,” but Walgreens plans to create “a fully harmonized portfolio of stores” over time. Read the CNN story here