Valeant Unveils Drug Pricing, Distribution Pacts With Walgreens

This is the tale of a bad guy-turned-good guy. Well, maybe. We are all familiar with Walgreens pharmacy and convenience store sales. Both in front of and behind the curtain, Walgreens proclaims its focus on the wellbeing of its customers and its commitment to helping sustain and improve lives. In the other corner is Valeant, another pharmeceutical company. The two are not contenders, but have joined forces. Valeant has recently been paid scrutinizing attention due to its bullying business strategies, some of which have apparently been borderline illegal. It is guilty of hassling insurance companies, and overpricing newly acquired drugs. This bully of a company has struggled with its sales, so it is trying to save face by following Walgreens goodwill example. Valeant has agreed to cut the prices of its drugs that will now be sold in Walgreens stores by 10%.

There is illustrated between the two the 'two types of people in this world' maxim. On one hand there is a money grubbing corporation of a pharmaceutical company, Valeant, while its cousin Walgreens, is the type who actively seeks to give his neighbor and leg-up. We generally imagine a pharmaceutical company to have a withholding nature, and Valeant has proven itself this villan. Pharmaceutical companies can go one of two routes: either buy and sell the drug  as a stricly profit-oriented organization, or research and distribute new and ever better drugs. Walgreens presents itself as this latter, the selfless hero.

The creation, manufacture, and sales of medicines is not new, but the product is constantly being renewed. Perhaps Valeant will actually commit and succeed in becoming one of the good guys in the healthcare industry.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/valeant-unveils-drug-pricing-distribution-pacts-with-walgreens-1450186752