McKesson
History and Timeline
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1929: Despite the Great Depression, McKesson
achieved sales of $140 million.
1940s: McKesson Laboratories joins the wartime
effort through penicillin production.
1970s: Barcoded shelf labels and Economist™,
the 1st electronic order transmission system,
revolutionize drug distribution.
1990s: McKesson expands footprint by acquiring HBO
& Company, the world’s largest healthcare services
company and General Medical Supply, the nation’s largest
distributor of medical supplies and equipment. McKesson
also gained traction in Canada with the acquisition
of Medis Health and Pharmaceutical Services.
McKesson pioneers Acumax™, a barcode
warehouse-management solution.
1993: McKesson receives the Computerworld
Smithsonian Award for IT innovation.
1833: John McKesson and Charles Olcott open Olcott
& McKesson, a drug import and wholesale business.
1840s: McKesson forms the first-ever nationwide
wholesale pharmaceutical drug distribution network.
Ships carry McKesson products all over the world.
1853: To expand product offerings, John
McKesson partners with Daniel Robbins. McKesson
becomes the largest U.S. distributor of wholesale
pharmaceutical drugs, beverages and chemicals.
1900s
1800s
2000s
2010s
2006: McKesson acquires RelayHealth, the nation’s
leading pharmacy network. The CDC selects McKesson to
distribute vaccines for the Vaccines for Children Program.
2020s
2010: McKesson becomes a leader in specialty
cancer care with the acquisitions of The US
Oncology Network and US Oncology Research.
2017: McKesson acquires CoverMyMeds®
to provide patients cost-effective
solutions for medications.
2020: McKesson serves as the U.S. government’s
centralized distributor of COVID-19 vaccines and
ancillary supply kits; McKesson Europe distributes
COVID-19 vaccines in several countries.
2021: McKesson launches Ontada, an oncology business
designed to advance cancer research and care.
2024 and Beyond: Establishing new
ventures to broaden scope and innovate as a
diversified healthcare services leader.