CVS Health, the largest retail pharmacy chain in America, announced early this month that it planned to purchase Aetna, one of the largest health insurance companies. It was a move analysts say was meant to keep the brick-and-mortar pharmacy juggernaut competitive as e-tailer Amazon moves in to disrupt the prescription drug industry.

Over the last few years, CVS has become all-but-synonymous with “drug store” for much of the U.S., wiping out independent pharmacists as its outlets have marched thr…