Controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2022
Nationwide opioid settlement framework
McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and Johnson & Johnson agreed to a multibillion-dollar settlement framework with most states resolving large volumes of opioid-related litigation.
2021
Former employee sued McKesson alleging racial discrimination
Lawsuit filed
A former McKesson employee filed a lawsuit alleging that the company discriminated against him on the basis of race. He claims that African American employees were terminated over sample-account use while non-African American team members who also used the account were not terminated. The allegations are claims in the lawsuit.
Source excerpt
Team members who were not African-American but who had also used the sample account for personal purposes were not terminated, according to the lawsuit.
A former employee of McKesson Medical-Surgical Inc. filed a lawsuit in an Eastern Virginia court last week for alleged racial discrimination by the medical supply company.
2021
New York reaches $1.1 billion opioid settlement with distributors
Settlement
New York agreed to a $1.1 billion settlement with Cardinal Health, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen over claims that they helped fuel the opioid epidemic. The agreement requires the distributors to create a clearinghouse of opioid shipments to help flag suspicious orders.
Source excerpt
The agreement also requires the distributors to create a clearinghouse of their opioid shipments to help flag suspicious orders.
New York has agreed to a $1.1 billion settlement with three of the nation’s largest drug distributors — Cardinal Health, McKesson and Amerisource Bergen — over claims they helped fuel the opioid epidemic.
2020
Oklahoma opioid lawsuit
Oklahoma sued McKesson and other pharmaceutical distributors, alleging that their distribution practices contributed to the state's opioid crisis and resulted in excessive supplies reaching local communities.
2020
Oklahoma sues opioid distributors
Lawsuit filed
In a lawsuit filed by Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter, Cardinal Health, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen were named as defendants. The suit alleged that the companies distributed an oversupply of opioids into Oklahoma. The report describes the companies' liability as alleged and does not establish it. The event is recorded as a legal action brought by the state's attorney general against the three distributors, centered on the allegation of oversupply of opioids in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter filed a lawsuit against Cardinal Health, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen, alleging that the companies distributed an oversupply of opioids into Oklahoma. The companies' liability is alleged, not established in the report.
Stated objective. The suit aims to hold defendants civilly liable for the alleged devastation caused by their facilitation of the illegal opioids market in Michigan.
Company response
Denial — McKesson
McKesson said in a statement Monday that “any suggestion that (the company) drove demand for opioids in this country reflects a fundamental misunderstanding and mischaracterization of our role as a distributor.”
Source excerpt
Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter on Monday brought a lawsuit against three distributors of opioids
Hunter filed the lawsuit in Cleveland County District Court against Cardinal Health Inc., McKesson Corp. and AmerisourceBergen Corp.
The lawsuit said the defendants “distributed what can only be called a major oversupply of opioids into Oklahoma.”
2017
Controlled-substance monitoring and opioid litigation
The Department of Justice alleged that McKesson failed to maintain adequate controls and report suspicious orders of controlled substances. The company agreed to a $150 million civil penalty and additional restrictions affecting several distribution centers.
2012
Medicaid pricing and billing settlements
McKesson agreed to pay $190 million to the United States and later $151 million to California and 28 other states to resolve allegations that it inflated prices and overbilled Medicaid.
1999
HBOC accounting irregularities
Following McKesson's merger with HBO & Company, accounting irregularities at HBOC caused a major loss in market value and led to executive dismissals, legal proceedings, and prosecutions.
1938
McKesson and Robbins fraud scandal
Senior executive Phillip Musica, using the identity F. Donald Coster, was involved in a scheme that created fictitious assets and diverted company funds. The scandal became a landmark event in the history of American corporate auditing and securities regulation.