McKesson Corporation
Explore McKesson
Core profile pages, annual revenue records, and related research hubs for this company.
McKesson Corporation
Explore McKesson
Core profile pages, annual revenue records, and related research hubs for this company.
Company History
Founded 1833 in Irving, Texas, United States
The business traces its roots to 1833, when John McKesson and Charles Olcott founded an early drug import and wholesale operation in New York. Over nearly two centuries, the company evolved from drug wholesaling into a national healthcare distribution, specialty, oncology, and technology platform.
Charles A. McKesson was a young Irish immigrant with a keen eye for commerce who recognized that the emerging field of botanical medicine held the potential to revolutionize the treatment of human disease. His decision to co-found Olcott & McKesson in 1833 was driven by the explicit goal of applying industrial distribution principles to the production of botanical drugs, ensuring that every batch contained a precise, standardized dose of the active compound. This focus on standardization was not merely a quality control measure; it was a revolutionary business strategy that allowed the company to build brand trust, scale production, and establish a distribution network that would eventually span the globe. McKesson's shrewd commercial acumen and his willingness to invest heavily in proprietary distribution processes allowed the young company to carve out a niche in the growing market for high-quality botanical drugs, despite intense competition from established chemical manufacturers. His leadership laid the groundwork for the company's subsequent pivot to the industrial distribution of chemical pharmaceuticals in the mid-19th century, a move that would transform the company into a global healthcare distribution powerhouse and generate the massive cash flows that funded its entry into the healthcare technology and specialty patient services markets. McKesson's legacy is defined by his understanding that the future of healthcare lay in bringing scientific rigor and industrial efficiency to the business of human health, a philosophy that remains the bedrock of the organization's operations today.
Charles Olcott and John McKesson established a New York wholesaler of therapeutic drugs and chemicals, creating the distribution foundation of today's McKesson.
McKesson combined most of its technology businesses with Change Healthcare. McKesson later completed its separation from Change Healthcare; it did not acquire the company in 2024.
McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen reached a nationwide settlement framework with states and local governments concerning opioid-distribution claims.
McKesson completed investments in PRISM Vision and Core Ventures, expanding its provider footprint in ophthalmology, oncology, and multispecialty care.
Management announced plans to separate Medical-Surgical Solutions so McKesson could focus capital on oncology, multispecialty, and biopharma services.
The sale of McKesson's Norwegian retail and distribution operations completed the company's exit from European operations.
McKesson reported $403.4 billion of fiscal 2026 revenue, up 12%, with growth led by pharmaceutical distribution and oncology and multispecialty services.
McKesson traces its origins to an 1833 drug import and wholesale business founded by John McKesson and Charles Olcott.
McKesson's most important turning points are the moments that turned the original business into its modern scaled platform.
This McKesson history page covers founding, major strategic shifts, leadership context, and current financial scale.