MCK vs CVS Comparison

McKesson Corp is one of three leading pharmaceutical wholesalers in the US engaged in sourcing and distributing branded, generic, and specialty pharmaceutical products to pharmacies (retail chains, independent, and mail order), hospitals networks, and healthcare providers. Along with Cencora and Cardinal Health, the three account for over 90% of the US pharmaceutical wholesale industry. Outside the US market, McKesson engages in pharmaceutical wholesale and distribution in Canada. Additionally, the company supplies medical-surgical products and equipment to healthcare facilities and provides a variety of technology solutions for pharmacies.

CVS Health offers a diverse set of healthcare services. Its roots are in its retail pharmacy operations, where it operates over 9,000 stores primarily in the US. CVS is also a large pharmacy benefit manager (acquired through Caremark), processing about 2 billion adjusted claims annually. It also operates a top-tier health insurer (acquired through Aetna) where it serves about 27 million medical members. The company's recent acquisition of Oak Street adds primary care services to the mix, which could have significant synergies with all existing business lines.