McKesson

As of July 2016, McKesson is among the largest providers of medicines in the United States.

History

2022: McKesson acquires machine learning platform developer Rx Savings Solutions for $875 million

On September 20, 2022, McKesson announced the signing of a final purchase agreement for Rx Savings Solutions, which is developing machine learning technologies to find cheap drug alternatives. Read more here.

2021: Drug-addictive drug sales penalty

At the end of July 2021, the California Attorney General announced that Johnson & Johnson and other pharmaceutical giants would pay $26 billion for drug sales. The settlement includes Johnson & Johnson, which manufactured and sold opioid drugs, and pharmaceutical distributors Cardinal, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen. Read more here.

2019: Thousands die after overdose on McKesson opioid drugs

In early May 2019, drug distributor McKesson agreed to pay $37 million to settle a lawsuit by the state of West Virginia holding the company responsible for distributing opioid drugs to addicts.

More than 47,000 people died due to an opiate overdose in 2017, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many deaths have been linked to prescription painkillers, heroin and fentanyl. The "opiate epidemic" has prompted the government and local authorities to file numerous lawsuits against drug manufacturers and distributors. Manufacturers such as Purdue Pharma were accused of a fraudulent marketing campaign for opioids, and distributors, for example, McKesson, for not informing government agencies on time about a suspicious increase in sales of narcotic drugs.

McKesson agrees to pay $37M to settle legal action over death of people due to opioid drug overdose

It's not the first time McKesson has faced such a lawsuit, and it's not the first time the state of West Virginia has sought a "opiate epidemic" trial. However, the distributor for the first time had to pay the state such an amount. West Virginia in 2017 settled similar cases against distributors Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen for $20 and $16 million, respectively.

McKesson's trial with the state has lasted since 2016. The distributor pleaded not guilty to facilitating the illegal use of narcotic drugs, although it agreed to pay the fine. McKesson management announced that the company is ready to work with the government to end this national crisis, and is pleased that the funds paid to it will provide initiatives to combat the illegal use of opiate drugs.^[1]

2016: Transfer of IT-Business to JV with Change Healthcare

At the end of June 2016, it became known about McKesson's plans to separate its IT medicine business into a joint venture (JV) with the developer of software and network solutions for medical institutions Change Healthcare Holdings. The new company is planned to be put on the stock exchange. Read more here.

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