SACRAMENTO, Calif. — AmerisourceBergen Corp. has been awarded a major pharmaceutical wholesale contract by the state of California.
The California Department of General Services (DGS) said late Thursday that the new drug supply pact, awarded to the pharmaceutical distributor’s AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp. business unit through a competitive bidding process, is projected to save $17.4 million over the course of the agreement.
California DGS noted that the new contract marshals the state’s collective purchasing power as a single buyer. Before the state’s Pharmacy Procurement Collaborative initiative, some agencies had negotiated separate pharmaceutical contracts.
Each year, California state agencies buy approximately $300 million of pharmaceuticals. The contract with AmerisourceBergen will be used by state prisons, state hospitals and state developmental centers, and other state and local agencies.
"The various state entities that purchase pharmaceuticals are working as partners on the procurement process in order to leverage their collective buying power," California DGS director Fred Klass said in a statement. "DGS initiated the Pharmacy Procurement Collaborative that has resulted in better pricing, better accountability, and will save the state millions of dollars in drug costs."
