AmerisourceBergen and Walgreens officially kick off new 10-year distribution deal
DEERFIELD, Ill. — AmerisourceBergen and Walgreens on Tuesday officially launched the previously announced 10-year relationship to distribute pharmaceuticals to more than 8,100 Walgreens locations across the country. With today’s launch, AmerisourceBergen becomes the primary supplier of brand pharmaceutical products across all of Walgreens locations, the wholesaler stated. In the coming months, AmerisourceBergen will assume primary distribution of all generic products to Walgreens.
“We are proud to launch a major operational phase of our new distribution agreement with Walgreens today,” stated Steve Collis, president and CEO AmerisourceBergen. “Our partnership with Walgreens marks the largest distribution deal of its kind within the pharmaceutical industry, and we are confident our teams will execute operations seamlessly to supply the millions of Walgreens customers with brand and generic pharmaceutical products.”
The agreement outlines a 10-year comprehensive primary pharmaceutical distribution contract between AmerisourceBergen and Walgreens. AmerisourceBergen also will have access to global sourcing for generic drugs and related pharmaceutical products through the joint venture between Walgreens and Alliance Boots.
“Today marks a significant milestone as we expand our relationship with AmerisourceBergen to form a collaborative wholesale-retail model in the United States,” said Greg Wasson, Walgreens president and CEO. “AmerisourceBergen’s leadership in distribution and emphasis on community pharmacy, health systems and alternate sites of care aligns perfectly with our goal to transform the role of community pharmacy.”
Collis and Wasson will highlight the launch of the agreement implementation during a series of events in the greater Chicago area. Collis and Wasson will make local stops at the Joint Command Center in Deerfield, Ill., before traveling to the Naperville, Ill., area to visit the Customer Care Center and a Walgreens “Well Experience” store, followed by a tour of the local distribution center.