McKesson Announces New President of U.S. Pharmaceutical Distribution Business

McKesson Corporation (NYSE:MCK) today announced that Brian S. Tyler, Ph.D., has been appointed president, McKesson U.S. Pharmaceutical, effective January 1, 2011. Currently the president of McKesson Medical-Surgical, a $2.4 billion operating unit of McKesson Corp., Tyler will succeed John Figueroa, who has accepted the position of CEO of Omnicare, also effective January 1, 2011.

Tyler will report to Paul Julian, executive vice president and group president, McKesson Corp. He will oversee McKesson’s U.S. pharmaceutical distribution business, which provides pharmaceutical distribution services and related healthcare services to customers in four primary segments: retail chains; independent retail pharmacies; mail-order pharmacies; and institutional providers such as hospitals, health systems, integrated delivery networks and long-term care providers. Until a new president of McKesson Medical-Surgical has been named, the business unit’s management team will report to Julian.

A 13-year McKesson veteran, Tyler has extensive experience across the full range of the company’s distribution businesses. He started his career as the vice president of strategic business services and then became the senior vice president of business development and sales strategy for the health systems group within McKesson U.S. Pharmaceutical.

Tyler later served as senior vice president of strategy and business development for all of McKesson Distribution Solutions, with responsibility for strategic planning, joint ventures, alliances and other business development activities for McKesson’s pharmaceutical distribution, medical-surgical, health solutions, and retail automation groups. Following his role in strategy and business development, Tyler ran McKesson Specialty Care Solutions, with responsibility for specialty distribution, pharmacy, marketing services, logistics, and Prospective Health, Inc.

"Brian is ideally suited to extend McKesson’s lead in pharmaceutical distribution based on his deep experience across our distribution businesses, outstanding track record as a business leader, and his commitment to operational excellence,” said Paul Julian, executive vice president and group president, McKesson Corp. "We thank John Figueroa for his significant contributions to McKesson’s success and wish him the very best in his new position. We know Brian will extend our leadership position in pharmaceutical distribution, and help us continue creating outstanding value for our customers, supplier partners, and shareholders.”

Prior to joining McKesson, Tyler spent three years at Integral, Inc., as a senior associate in the firm’s healthcare consulting practice. While at Integral, Tyler worked with senior executives of merging academic medical centers to define their marketing and physician network strategies, develop operating improvement plans and develop cost reduction programs for the pharmacy, lab and materials management departments.

Tyler earned his Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Chicago, Department of Economics in June 1994, where he studied under a grant from the National Science Foundation. His areas of concentration included industrial organization, labor economics, public finance and project evaluation. Tyler earned his B.A. in economics with high honors from University of California Santa Cruz in June 1989.

About McKesson

McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 14th on the FORTUNE 500, is a healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to helping its customers deliver high-quality healthcare by reducing costs, streamlining processes, and improving the quality and safety of patient care. Over the course of its 177-year history, McKesson has grown by providing pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management across the spectrum of care; healthcare information technology for hospitals, physicians, homecare and payers; hospital and retail pharmacy automation; and services for manufacturers and payors designed to improve outcomes for patients. For more information, visit www.mckesson.com.