Cardinal Health Plans to Acquire Specialty Networks

Cardinal Health recently entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Specialty Networks, a technology-enabled multi-specialty group purchasing and practice enhancement organization for $1.2B in cash.

Specialty Networks is an integrated multi-specialty platform with GPOs, life sciences, and research solutions in urology, gastroenterology, and rheumatology.

Cardinal Health recently stated that Specialty is the company’s priority area of focus, and a key enabler to its long-term growth. Cardinal Health plans to continue to invest to expand downstream across key therapeutic areas, such as Oncology, Rheumatology, and other emerging areas.

Specialty Networks creates clinical and economic value for independent specialty providers and partners across multiple specialty GPOs: UroGPO, Gastrologix and GastroGPO, and United Rheumatology.

Cardinal Health Specialty Pharmaceutical Distribution provides distribution services for oncology and urology specialty physician practices. These include  an extensive portfolio of branded, generic, and biosimilar specialty medications – including infusibles, injectables and orals.

Cardinal Health Specialty Pharmaceutical Distribution (SPD) works with pharmacies to identify their unique challenges, generate insights, and provide the products, technologies and knowledge they need to perform at their best.

SPD simplifies the delivery of specialty products by leveraging its scale as one of the largest specialty healthcare supply chains in the U.S., long-standing relationships with leading group purchasing organizations and decades of experience delivering specialty products.

With Cardinal Health Specialty Pharmaceutical Distribution, customers can:

• Gain access to specialty products
• Improve inventory management
• Receive emergency drugs faster
• Optimize financial performance
• Simplify and streamline operations
• Secure flu vaccines through the Flu Vaccine Program

Takeaway: The acquisition of Specialty Networks demonstrates Cardinal Health’s strategic prioritization of investing to accelerate growth in its Specialty business and provide leading-edge technologies, capabilities, and talent that address critical business and customer needs.