ການຕັ້ງຖິ່ນຖານ Opioid ດຶງ Walgreens ເຖິງ 3.7 ຕື້ໂດລາ

Walgreens Boots Alliance reported a $3.7 billion loss to cover its share of a massive global settlement of claims its pharmacies contributed to the opioid epidemic.

Walgreens Thursday disclosed a $3.7 billion net loss, or $4.31 a share, for its fiscal first quarter 2023, which ended November 30, 2022. That was well off the year-ago period when Walgreens earned a net profit of $3.58 billion, or $4.13 a share.

“First quarter loss per share was $4.31 compared to earnings per share of $4.13 in the year-ago quarter reflecting a $6.5 billion pre-tax charge recognized in connection with the previously announced opioid litigation settlement frameworks and certain other opioid-related matters,” Walgreens said Wednesday in its quarterly earnings report.

CVS, Walgreens and Walmart – the nation’s three largest retail U.S. pharmacy chains — agreed in November to pay more than $13 billion in a massive global settlement to resolve claims they contributed to the opioid epidemic. ສູນຄວບຄຸມແລະປ້ອງກັນພະຍາດຂອງສະຫະລັດອາເມລິກາ ຄາດ​ຄະ​ເນ​ວ່າ​ວິ​ກິດ​ການ​ຢາ​ຝິ່ນ​ໃນ​ທົ່ວ​ປະ​ເທດ​ໄດ້​ພາ​ໃຫ້​ມີ​ຜູ້​ເສຍ​ຊີ​ວິດ​ຫຼາຍ​ກວ່າ​ເຄິ່ງ​ລ້ານ​ຄົນ​ຈາກ​ການ​ກິນ​ຢາ​ເກີນ​ເວ​ລາ​ໃນ 20 ປີ​ທີ່​ຜ່ານ​ມາ. Walmart, CVS ແລະ Walgreens ລວມກັນມີຫຼາຍກວ່າ 23,000 ຮ້ານຂາຍຢາສະຫະລັດ.

ການສືບສວນໂດຍທະນາຍຄວາມຂອງລັດແລະລັດຖະບານກາງເຊັ່ນດຽວກັນກັບທະນາຍຄວາມໃນການປະຕິບັດເອກະຊົນທີ່ເປັນຕົວແທນຂອງຄອບຄົວຂອງຜູ້ຖືກເຄາະຮ້າຍ opioid ໄດ້ອ້າງເຖິງບົດບາດຂອງຜູ້ຈັດຈໍາຫນ່າຍແລະຮ້ານຂາຍຢາໃນການລະບາດ. A 2019 ບົດ​ລາຍ​ງານ​ການ​ສືບ​ສວນ​ຂອງ Washington Post ທ່ານ Walgreens ກ່າວວ່າ "ໄດ້ຈັດການກັບເກືອບຫນຶ່ງໃນຫ້າຂອງຢາ opioids ທີ່ຕິດຫຼາຍທີ່ສຸດ" ໃນຈຸດສູງສຸດຂອງວິກິດການທີ່ອ້ອມຮອບຢາແກ້ປວດແລະ ເຮັດຫນ້າທີ່ເປັນ "ຕົວແທນຈໍາຫນ່າຍຂອງຕົນເອງ."

Along with the quarterly loss, Walgreens Thursday reported sales dipped 1.5% to $33.4 billion as the company transitions from a pharmacy chain to what its top executive calls a “consumer-centric healthcare company.”

“We’re making significant progress in driving our U.S. Healthcare segment to scale and profit, including the recent VillageMD acquisition of Summit Health,” Walgreens Chief Executive Officer Rosalind Brewer said in a statement accompanying the earnings report. “Our core retail pharmacy businesses in both the United States and United Kingdom remain resilient in challenging operating environments. Execution across segments reinforces our confidence in achieving full-year guidance, and our strategic actions are creating long-term shareholder value.”

Walgreens raised its full-year sales guidance to $133.5 billion to $137.5 billion reflecting its “Summit Health acquisition, refreshed currency rates, and first quarter sales ahead of expectations,” the company said.

During the quarter, Walgreens invested $3.5 billion in debt and equity to support doctor-staffed clinic operator VillageMD’s acquisition of Summit Health, which closed January 3 of this year. Walgreens-backed VillageMD is buying Summit Health for $8.9 billion to expand doctor-staffed clinics across the country.

ການເຮັດທຸລະ ກຳ ລວມທັງການລົງທຶນຈາກ Walgreens, ເຊິ່ງເປັນເຈົ້າຂອງຫຼາຍກວ່າ 60% ຂອງ VillageMD, ແລະບໍລິສັດປະກັນໄພສຸຂະພາບ Cigna ທຸລະກິດບໍລິການສຸຂະພາບ Evernorth. ຜູ້ໃຫ້ບໍລິການດູແລເບື້ອງຕົ້ນ Summit Health ລວມເຂົ້າກັບ CityMD ໃນປີ 2019 ເພື່ອສ້າງບໍລິສັດທີ່ມີຫຼາຍກວ່າ 1,400 ຜູ້ໃຫ້ບໍລິການດ້ານສຸຂະພາບທີ່ສະຫນອງການດູແລປະຖົມ, ພິເສດແລະຮີບດ່ວນ.

In the first quarter, Walgreens said its U.S. healthcare segment that includes VillageMD clinics had first quarter sales of $989 million, “an increase of $938 million compared to the prior year period.”

“On a pro forma basis, this segment’s businesses grew sales at a combined rate of 38.4 percent in the quarter,” Walgreens said. “VillageMD grew 48.7 percent, reflecting existing clinic growth and clinic footprint expansion.”

Meanwhile, Walgreens U.S. retail pharmacy segment had first quarter sales of $27.2 billion, which dropped 3% from the year-ago quarter that “included a significant contribution from COVID-19 vaccinations,” the company said.