Cencora

Cencora, Inc., formerly known as AmerisourceBergen, is an American drug wholesale and distribution company and a contract research organization, that was formed by the merger of Bergen Brunswig and AmeriSource in 2001.[3] It was renamed to Cencora in 2023. Cencora is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and distributes generic pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter healthcare products, as well as home healthcare supplies and equipment.[4]

Background

AmerisourceBergen was formed in 2001 following the merger of AmeriSource Health Corporation and Bergen Brunswig Corporation.[5] David Yost was CEO of Amerisource prior to the merger and remained in the position after the companies merged.[6]

AmerisourceBergen has 26 pharmaceutical distribution centers in the US, nine distribution centers in Canada, four specialty distribution centers in the US, and over 1 million square feet of packaging production capacity in the US and the UK. With the addition of World Courier,[7]

Controversies

Opioid epidemic

AmerisourceBergen is among several distributors that have been sued by West Virginia for contributing to the opioid epidemic in the United States, by shipping inordinate amounts of pain medication into the state.[25][26][27]

In December 2019, Michigan became the first state to sue AmerisourceBergen and three other opioid distributors as drug dealers for their role in the state's opioid crisis.[28][29] The lawsuit is filed under the Michigan Drug Dealer Liability Act.[30] AmerisourceBergen was among four companies who, because of their role in the addiction crisis, agreed to pay $260 million to two Ohio counties.[31]

In May 2020, Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter sued AmerisourceBergen in Bryan County District Court, Oklahoma. The lawsuit alleged that the company's actions helped fuel Oklahoma's opioid crisis. The suit was filed along with lawsuits against Cardinal Health and McKesson, and the three lawsuits allege that the three companies provided "enough opioids to Bryan County that every adult resident there could have had 144 hydrocodone tablets."[32]

In January 2022, AmerisourceBergen, McKesson, Cardinal Health, and Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay $26 billion to settle with all but five of the states suing them.[33] The deal covered the bulk of the grievances against these four companies, including 90 percent of municipal governments, 46 states, and Washington, DC.[34] Had the states gone to court, the companies could have faced up to $95 billion in penalties.[35] AmerisourceBergen and the three other companies did not admit wrongdoing.[34]

Legal issues

In October 2018, AmerisourceBergen agreed to pay $625 million to settle civil fraud allegations resulting from its repackaging and sale of adulterated drugs and unapproved new drugs, double billing and providing kickbacks to physicians.[36] The company had previously been found guilty of a misdemeanor charge related to the repackaging and distribution of pre-filled syringes that lacked FDA approval.[37] In connection with this case, AmerisourceBergen agreed to pay $260 million, bringing the total settlement amount to $885 million.[38]

As part of the civil settlement, ABC admitted that between January 2001 and January 2014, MII and OSC operated a program that created, packed and shipped millions of pre-filled syringes (PFS) to oncology practices for administration to vulnerable cancer patients (the PFS Program).[37] At MII, an ABC subsidiary located in Alabama, the drug product was removed from the original glass vials and multiple vials of the product were pooled in untested plastic containers. Then the drug, including the overfill, was extracted and repackaged into syringes. By harvesting the overfill, ABC was able to create more doses than it bought from the original vial manufacturers and avoid opening some of the vials.

former name	AmerisourceBergen Corporation (2001–2023)
type	Public
traded as	nyse: COR S&P 500 component
founded	2001 (merger between AmeriSource Health and Bergen Brunswig)
hq location	Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, U.S.
area served	North America United Kingdom
key people	D. Mark Durcan (chairman)‡R1R‡ Robert Mauch (President & CEO)
revenue	US$321 billion (2025)
operating income	US$2.63 billion (2025)
net income	US$1.55 billion (2025)
assets	US$76.6 billion (2025)
equity	US$1.51 billion (2025)
owner	Walgreens Boots Alliance (10%)
num employees	c. 51,000 (2025)
products	Pharmaceuticals and pharmacy services
industry	Pharmaceutical industry
website	https://cencora.com/
footnotes	Financials as of September 30, 2025.‡R2R‡

Background

Products

Good Neighbor Pharmacy

Acquisition history

Distribution of Remdesivir

Finances

Controversies

Opioid epidemic

Legal issues

External links

References