Abstract
Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, USA, Cardinal Health is a leading provider of
healthcare products and services. It is one of the largest distributors of
pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, claiming to distribute around a third of
all pharmaceuticals prescribed in the US and to distribute or manufacture
products used in approximately 50% of all surgeries in the US. The company' s
medical device products include infusion pumps, surgical products, infection
prevention products, respiratory care products, automated dispensing systems
and patient identification systems.
Cardinal Health operated a Pharmaceutical Technologies and Services (PTS)
segment, but sold this business in April 2007, excluding certain
generic-focused businesses. The remaining four segments are centred on two
major sectors: healthcare supply chain services, focused on the company' s
foundational logistics and distribution service operations; and clinical and
medical products, focused on higher-margin, faster-growing medical products
businesses.
Cardinal Health' s medical device operations are mainly included within its
Clinical Technologies and Services, and Medical Products and Technologies
divisions, while the company' s Presource surgical kits are manufactured by the
Healthcare Supply Chain Services - Medical business. Its products include
well-known brands such as Alaris IV pumps, Pyxis automated dispensing systems,
MedMined electronic infection surveillance service, VIASYS respiratory care
products and the CareFusion patient identification system.
These operations have been of increasing importance to the company in recent
years and it has undertaken several important device acquisitions to expand
its business. These have included Alaris Medical, which added a leading line
of infusion products, and the recent purchase of VIASYS, positioning the
company as a leader in the US$4 billion global respiratory care market. This
latter investment broadened Cardinal Health' s technology base with acute care
brands such as AVEA ventilators, Vmax Encore pulmonary function measurement
equipment, Nicolet neurological products and CORPAK enteral feeding products,
and is also expected to accelerate the company' s expansion into markets
outside the US. Also in fiscal 2007, the company acquired MedMined, a leader
in tracking and predicting infection management opportunities within major
hospitals; and CareFusion, which focuses on bedside barcode utilisation for
tracking hospital samples. In addition, in March 2008, Cardinal Health formed
an agreement to acquire Enturia, including its infection prevention products
sold under the ChloraPrep brand name. These products are used to disinfect
skin before surgical and vascular procedures and will complement Cardinal
Health' s infection prevention offerings included within its Medical Products
and Technologies segment.
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