Walgreen Co. has made its second Western Pennsylvania acquisition within the past two years, purchasing McKesson Corp.'s Specialty Pharmacy business.
The acquisition includes McKesson's 30,000-square-foot specialty pharmacy facility located on Washington's Landing. Other facilities included in the purchase are located in Frisco, Texas; Torrence, Calif.; Wilmington, Mass. and in St. Louis.
No purchase price was disclosed for the acquisition.
"The acquisition of McKesson's specialty pharmacy operations offers the opportunity to grow our own specialty pharmacy business," said Stanley B. Blaylock, president of Walgreen's Health Services unit, in a statement.
"Our specialty pharmacy business as a whole has grown over the last two years, as we have gained business and added more acquisitions," Walgreen spokesman Michael Polzin said. "I wouldn't expect anything major in terms of changes (concerning McKesson Specialty), at least initially."
Two years ago, Walgreen, the nation's largest pharmacy chain, with fiscal year 2008 sales of $59 billion, acquired for an undisclosed price Carnegie-based Medmark Specialty Pharmacy Solutions Inc.
The company, founded in 2003, specializes in unique, high-cost drugs. It was renamed Walgreen's Specialty Pharmacy, as will McKesson's unit, which Walgreen expects to take possession of within 60 days.
Employment at the former Medmark Carnegie facility has jumped to 275, from 120, the number of employees when the acquisition was announced in June 2006.
