Cardinal Health
General Company Info
Founded in 1979, Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) seeks to deliver medicine to all points of the compass. The company is the second-largest distributor of pharmaceuticals and other medical supplies and equipment in the US. For example, it manufactures and sells proprietary medical products like surgical gloves and drapes. Cardinal Health provides drug-manufacturing services, delivery systems, and packaging services to pharmaceutical companies; in addition, it sells proprietary point-of-use systems that automate the distribution of medicines and supplies in hospitals. Its suite of products and services help improve quality, safety and efficiency all along the chain of care.
Headquarters:Dublin, OHSales 2005: $74.9 Billion
Employment 2004:55,000 peopleNet Income 2005: $1.05 Billion
Main Segments
Pharmaceutical Distribution and Provider Services - distributes pharmaceuticals, health care products, and other items in the US. It also operates a distribution network to offer branded and generic pharmaceutical products in the United Kingdom; provides distribution and support services; and operates and franchises apothecary-style retail pharmacies.
Medical Products and Services - manufactures medical, surgical, and laboratory products, as well as distributes its products and other suppliers’ products. It also distributes oncology, therapeutic plasma, and other specialty pharmaceutical and biotechnology products.
Pharmaceutical Technologies and Services - provides pharmaceutical development and manufacturing services, packaging, radiopharmaceutical manufacturing, distribution and analytical science services, scientific and regulatory consulting, medical education, and marketing and contract sales services. It also manufactures and markets generic injectible pharmaceutical products.
Clinical Technologies and Services - designs, develops, and markets intravenous medication safety and infusion therapy delivery systems; and point-of-use systems that automate the distribution and management of medications and supplies. It also provides integrated pharmacy management, temporary pharmacy staffing, and gathering and recording of clinical information for review, analysis, and interpretation services.
In the news
January 06, 2006 – Cardinal Health announced it has entered a feasibility and commercial option agreement with Centocor, Inc. to develop cell lines using Cardinal Health’s Gene Product Expression (GPEx™) cell line engineering technology. GPEx™ technology enables rapid genetic engineering of stable mammalian cell lines. These cell lines are used to produce human proteins and antibodies, which belong to the rapidly growing class of medicines known as biopharmaceuticals. “We are very pleased that Centocor has chosen to evaluate our GPEx™ technology with several of their antibodies,” said Paul Weiss, PhD, president of Cardinal Health’s biopharmaceutical development services center in Middleton, Wisconsin. “…and are looking forward to proving our ability to rapidly engineer stable, high expressing cell lines for Centocor to evaluate.”
October 31, 2005/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Cardinal Health today announced the next generation of its Alaris(R) System with Guardrails(R) Suite MX safety software. The "smart pump" system contains several important new safety features including a bar code reader that enables medication verification for IV drugs at the point of care and a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) Pause Protocol that helps minimize the risk of patient respiratory depression during pain management therapy. Adverse drug events (ADEs) are the most common cause of patient injury in hospitals and 61 percent of the most serious and life-threatening adverse events are IV drug related.
Top Competitors
AmerisourceBergen - the source for many of America's pharmacies and retailers; primarily distributes generic, branded, and OTC pharmaceuticals, but offers toiletries, sundries, and medical supplies as well.
McKesson–the largest pharmaceuticals distributor in the US, including medical supplies and equipment.
Owens Minor– a leading distributor of medical and surgical supplies, such as surgical gowns, needles, and endoscopic and intravenous products. The firm also offers software, consulting, and other services to help customers manage their supplies.
Sources: Company website, Hoovers.com, Morningstar.com, and Yahoo! Finance.