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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
PART IV

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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

þ

 

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

  For the Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 20132014
OR

o

 TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
  For the transition period from                   to                   



AMERISOURCEBERGEN CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)



Commission
File Number
 Registrant, State of Incorporation
Address and Telephone Number
 I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number
1-16671 AmerisourceBergen Corporation 23-3079390

 

 

(a Delaware Corporation)
1300 Morris Drive
Chesterbrook, PA 19087-5594
610-727-7000

 

 



Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share
Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None



          Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer (as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act). Yes þ No o

          Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Yes o No þ

          Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No o

          Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (Section 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes þ No o

          Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (Section 229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. o

          Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer" and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Large accelerated filer þ Accelerated filer o Non-accelerated filer o
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
 Smaller reporting company o

          Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934). Yes o No þ

          The aggregate market value of voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant on March 31, 20132014 based upon the closing price of such stock on the New York Stock Exchange on March 31, 20132014 was $10,325,295,935.$12,186,712,842.

          The number of shares of common stock of AmerisourceBergen Corporation outstanding as of October 31, 20132014 was 230,032,094.218,691,869.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

          Portions of the following document are incorporated by reference in the Part of this report indicated below:

          Part III — Registrant's Proxy Statement for the 20142015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

   


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Item Page

PART I

 
 

1. Business

 
1

1A. Risk Factors

 
78

1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

 
1416

2. Properties

 
1416

3. Legal Proceedings

 
1416

4. Mine Safety Disclosures

 
1416

Executive Officers of the Registrant

 
1517

PART II

 
 

5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

 
1619

6. Selected Financial Data

 
1922

7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

 
2023

7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

 
3439

8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

 
3540

9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

 
6475

9A. Controls and Procedures

 
6475

9B. Other Information

 
6677

PART III

 
 

10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

 
6677

11. Executive Compensation

 
6677

12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

 
6677

13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

 
6677

14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services

 
6677

PART IV

 
 

15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules

 
6778

Signatures

 
7285

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PART I

ITEM 1.    BUSINESS

         As used herein, the terms "Company," "AmerisourceBergen," "we," "us," or "our" refer to AmerisourceBergen Corporation, a Delaware corporation.

         AmerisourceBergen Corporation is one of the largest global pharmaceutical sourcing and distribution services companies, helping both healthcare providers and pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers improve patient access to products and enhance patient care. We deliver innovative programs and services designed to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the pharmaceutical supply chain. More specifically, we distribute a comprehensive offering of brand-name and generic pharmaceuticals (including specialty pharmaceutical products) and generic pharmaceuticals,, over-the-counter healthcare products, home healthcare supplies and equipment, and related services to a wide variety of healthcare providers located in the United States and select global markets, including chain retail and independent pharmacies, mail order pharmacies, acute care hospitals and health systems, physician practices, medical and dialysis clinics, long-term care and other alternate site pharmacies, and other customers. We also provide pharmacy services to certain specialty drug patients. Additionally, we furnish healthcare providers and pharmaceutical manufacturers with an assortment of related services, including reimbursement and pharmaceutical consulting services, niche premium logistics services, inventory management, pharmacy automation, and pharmacy management.

Industry Overview

         Pharmaceutical sales in the United States, as recently estimated by IMS Healthcare, Inc. ("IMS"), an independent third party provider of information to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry, are expected to grow approximately 2.3%6.4% annually from 20132014 through 2017.2018, primarily due to strong demand, favorable pricing, and new product introductions. IMS expects that certain sectors of the market, such as biotechnology and other specialty and generic pharmaceuticals,pharmaceutical sales will grow faster than the overall market.

         In addition to general economic conditions, factors that impact the growth of the pharmaceutical industry in the United States, and other industry trends, include:

         Aging Population.The number of individuals age 65 and over in the United States is expected to exceed 4950 million by 20172018 and is the most rapidly growing segment of the population. This age group suffers from more chronic illnesses and disabilities than the rest of the population and accounts for a substantial portion of total healthcare expenditures in the United States.

         Introduction of New Pharmaceuticals.Traditional research and development, as well as the advent of new research, production and delivery methods such as biotechnology and gene therapy, continue to generate new pharmaceuticals and delivery methods that are more effective in treating diseases. We believe ongoing research and development expenditures by the leading pharmaceutical manufacturers will contribute to continued growth of the industry. In particular, we believe ongoing research and development of biotechnology and other specialty pharmaceutical drugs will provide opportunities for the continued growth of our specialty pharmaceuticals business.

         Increased Use of Generic Pharmaceuticals.A number of patents for widely used brand-name pharmaceutical products will continue to expire during the next several years. In addition, increased emphasis by managed care and other third party payors on utilization of generics has accelerated their growth. We consider the increase in generic usage a favorable trend because generic pharmaceuticals have historically provided us with a greater gross profit margin opportunity than brand-name products, although their lower prices reduce revenue growth. Generic pharmaceuticals currently account for approximately 80%85% of the prescription volume in the United States.

         Increased Use of Drug Therapies.In response to rising healthcare costs, governmental and private payors have adopted cost containment measures that encourage the use of efficient drug therapies to prevent or treat diseases. While national attention has been focused on the overall increase in aggregate healthcare costs, we believe drug therapy has had a beneficial impact on healthcare costs by reducing expensive surgeries and prolonged hospital stays. Pharmaceuticals currently account for approximately 12% of overall healthcare costs. Pharmaceutical manufacturers' continued emphasis on research and development is expected to result in the continuing introduction of cost-effective drug therapies and new uses for existing drug therapies.


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         Legislative Developments.In recent years, regulation of the healthcare industry has changed significantly in an effort to increase drug utilization and reduce costs. These changes included expansion of Medicare coverage for outpatient prescription drugs, the enrollment (beginning in 2006) of Medicare beneficiaries in prescription drug plans offered by private entities, and cuts in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates. More recently, in March 2010, the federal government enacted major health reform legislation designed to expand access to health insurance, which would increase the number of people in the United States who are eligible to be reimbursed for all or a portion of prescription drug costs. The health reform law provides for sweeping changes to Medicare and Medicaid policies (including drug reimbursement policies), expanded disclosure requirements regarding financial arrangements within the healthcare industry, enhanced enforcement authority to prevent fraud and abuse, and new taxes and fees on pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. These policies and other legislative developments may affect our businesses directly and/or indirectly (see Government Regulation on page 56 for further details).


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The Company

         We currently serve our customers (healthcare providers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and certain specialty drug patients) through a geographically diverse network of distribution service centers and other operations in the United States and selected global markets. In our pharmaceutical distribution business, we are typically the primary source of supply of pharmaceutical and related products to our healthcare provider customers. We offer a broad range of services to our customers designed to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations, which allows them to improve the delivery of healthcare to patients and to lower overall costs in the pharmaceutical supply channel.

Strategy

         Our business strategy is focused on the global pharmaceutical supply channel where we provide value-added distribution and service solutions to healthcare providers (primarily pharmacies, health systems, medical and dialysis clinics, and physicians) and pharmaceutical manufacturers that increase channel efficiencies and improve patient outcomes. Implementing this disciplined, focused strategy has allowed us to significantly expand our business, and we believe we are well-positioned to continue to grow revenue and increase operating income through the execution of the following key elements of our business strategy:


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