Walgreens, Alliance Boots announce blockbuster partnership with AmerisourceBergen
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens will no longer source branded prescription medicines directly from suppliers beginning in September, the Chicago-based retailer announced Tuesday as part of a significant partnership between Walgreens, Alliance Boots and AmerisourceBergen that includes Walgreens and Alliance Boots potentially taking a 7% stake in the Pennsylvania wholesaler. Walgreens will begin sourcing generic medicines from AmerisourceBergen beginning in the calendar year 2014.
The relationship enables Walgreens, Alliance Boots and AmerisourceBergen to benefit from greater scale and global opportunities and work together on programs to improve service levels and efficiencies, while reducing costs and increasing patient access to pharmaceuticals.
“Today’s announcement marks another step forward in establishing an unprecedented and efficient global pharmacy-led, health and wellbeing network, and achieving our vision of becoming the first choice in health and daily living for everyone in America and beyond,” stated Gregory Wasson, president and CEO Walgreens. “We are excited to be expanding our existing relationship with AmerisourceBergen to a 10-year strategic long-term contract, representing another transformational step in the pharmaceutical supply chain. We believe this relationship will create a wide range of opportunities and innovations in the rapidly changing U.S. and global health care environment that we expect will benefit all of our stakeholders.”
“As we all recognize the imperatives of health reform not only here in the U.S. but also globally, we have entered into a unique opportunity to unlock value in the pharmaceutical supply chain by collaborating to leverage all of our proven strengths," commented Steven Collis, AmerisourceBergen president and CEO. "These agreements not only expand our U.S. business, but also provide opportunities to meaningfully grow our specialty and manufacturer services businesses internationally.”
According to the three companies, the partnership will help address global healthcare challenges by making it easier for manufacturers to bring products to market; by increasing accessibility to the benefits of global sourcing and best practices for community pharmacies; and by providing patients with better access to health care. The collaboration will also generate opportunities to attract partners in new markets and prospects in existing markets around the globe.
As part of the agreement, Walgreens and AmerisourceBergen have agreed to expand their existing relationship beyond the specialty items currently distributed by AmerisourceBergen to a 10-year comprehensive primary distribution agreement for branded and generic pharmaceutical products. The agreement will result in the distribution by AmerisourceBergen of the branded pharmaceutical products that Walgreens has historically sourced from distributors and suppliers, effective Sept. 1. Over time, beginning in calendar year 2014, this increasingly will include generic pharmaceutical products that Walgreens historically has self-distributed.
In turn, AmerisourceBergen will access generics and related pharmaceutical products through the recently established Walgreens and Alliance Boots joint venture, Walgreens Boots Alliance Development. Walgreens will benefit from AmerisourceBergen’s expertise in its specialty and manufacturer services businesses, as well as its wholesale distribution to health systems across the United States. Alliance Boots strong international expertise in pharmaceutical wholesaling and distribution also opens avenues for collaboration on new projects and services.
To align interests and strengthen the long-term relationship, Walgreens and Alliance Boots together have been granted the right to purchase a minority equity position in AmerisourceBergen, beginning with the right, but not the obligation, to purchase up to 7% of the fully diluted equity of AmerisourceBergen in the open market, with associated board representation as described below. In addition, AmerisourceBergen has granted to Walgreens and Alliance Boots equity warrants exercisable for 16% in the aggregate of the fully diluted equity of AmerisourceBergen. The first tranche of warrants, representing 8% of the fully diluted equity of AmerisourceBergen, has a strike price of $51.50 and will be exercisable for a six-month period beginning in March 2016. The second tranche of warrants, also representing 8% of the fully diluted equity of AmerisourceBergen, has a strike price of $52.50 and will be exercisable for a six-month period beginning in March 2017. The warrants will be allocated equally among Walgreens and Alliance Boots. Walgreens and Alliance Boots have agreed to customary transfer restrictions on their equity stake, and have also agreed not to acquire additional equity of AmerisourceBergen under the terms of a standstill agreement, subject to the terms and conditions of such agreement, including certain pre-emption rights and permitted exceptions.
A Walgreens executive will be appointed to AmerisourceBergen’s board upon Walgreens and Alliance Boots together acquiring a 5% equity stake, and an Alliance Boots executive will be appointed upon exercise in full of the first warrants. These new board seats will add to AmerisourceBergen’s current nine-member board.
The equity investment by Walgreens and Alliance Boots is subject to the receipt of customary regulatory approvals.
Walgreens and Alliance Boots announced a strategic partnership in June 2012 to create the first global, pharmacy-led health and wellbeing enterprise. As part of the partnership, Walgreens has invested in a 45% equity ownership stake in Alliance Boots and has the option to proceed to a full combination by acquiring the remaining 55% of Alliance Boots in approximately two years’ time.
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