News

KKR has closed its acquisition of Louisville, Kentucky-based BrightSpring Health, a home and community-based health services provider. The amount of the acquisition was previously reported to be about $1.32 billion, with an affiliate of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc serving as a minority investor. As part of the deal, BrightSpring has merged with KKR portfolio company PharMerica, a pharmacy services provider.

PRESS RELEASE

LOUISVILLE, Ky.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Global investment firm KKR and BrightSpring Health Services (“BrightSpring”), one of the largest home and community-based health services providers, announced today that KKR has closed on its acquisition of BrightSpring. As part of this transaction, BrightSpring has merged with PharMerica Corporation (“PharMerica”) to now become a leading provider of both home and community-based health and pharmacy services for high-need and medically complex populations.

The strategic combination of BrightSpring and PharMerica creates a uniquely positioned, diversified health care platform with comprehensive care capabilities across clinical, pharmacy, and non-clinical support services in multiple care settings. Upon close, the combined company will serve over 300,000 clients daily in 47 states, Puerto Rico and Canada with combined revenue of approximately $4.5 billion.

“Today marks the start of a new and exciting chapter for BrightSpring and PharMerica. We look forward to working with the team on the combined company’s next phase of growth and development,” said KKR member Max Lin.

“Combining BrightSpring and PharMerica brings together two well-respected, high quality and innovative leaders within their markets. Together, we will have unmatched capabilities to drive improved outcomes and reduced costs through integrated service and care models for all of the people and stakeholders we serve. Through the combination of our community-based health services and pharmacy capabilities, our complementary offerings will have valuable benefits to our clients, patients and customers and provide new opportunities together,” said Jon Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer of BrightSpring and Chief Executive Officer of PharMerica.

With the combined enterprise led by Rousseau as CEO, Bob Dries has been named the President of PharMerica as part of the combination. “Greater independence, improved health outcomes and reduced hospitalizations all depend on three things to be present – non-clinical support services, daily medication optimization and clinical monitoring and interventions when required, which is what we are focused on providing to deliver value as a combined company,” said Dries. “With PharMerica, we provide industry leading medication availability, cost containment results, and clinical, regulatory and education support for our customers and their residents and patients – through our proprietary programs and systems,” he added.
BrihtSpring and PharMerica will continue to support all operations from Louisville, Kentucky, where both businesses are headquartered, and anticipate many benefits to its customers and people served from its scale and scope of integrated services. The combined organization will continue to take a local and customized approach when serving its behavioral, senior and specialty populations in the community, as well as offering differentiated capabilities and a unique set of comprehensive offerings to the skilled nursing, senior living, hospital, behavioral provider, and home infusion and specialty clinic customers that it serves. The increased breadth of the company’s services and its proximity in serving complex populations, which are most often significant polypharmacy populations, will provide added solutions and opportunities for working with Medicare, states and other payers to improve outcomes and lower costs.

Under the terms of the deal originally announced on Dec. 10, 2018, KKR has purchased BrightSpring for approximately $1.32 billion with an affiliate of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. as a minority investor.

About BrightSpring
BrightSpring Health Services is the parent company of a family of brands and services that provides clinical, nonclinical and pharmacy and other ancillary care services for people of all ages, health and skill levels across home and community settings. BrightSpring is one of the largest providers of diversified home and community-based health services to complex, high-cost populations. Its primary businesses include: behavioral health (including autism services), home health care (including personal care, home health, and hospice), neuro therapy, and job placement and vocational training, supported by pharmacy and telecare ancillary technologies and services. These businesses employ over 45,000 dedicated team members in more than 40 states and provide services to over 2 million people annually.

BrightSpring Health Services is focused on providing quality and lower-cost outcomes to challenging and high-cost populations, through best-in-class services and technology innovation. Its Connected Home care model is becoming an industry-leading approach to the future of health care services to achieve strong quality and compliance while also driving efficiency and cutting waste. The company’s care professionals work in thousands of communities across the United States providing critically needed daily support services, as well as clinical and pharmacy health services, in community settings. Founded and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, BrightSpring has been making a difference in people’s lives and communities since 1974 – helping people live their best life. For more information, visit www.BrightSpringHealth.com.

About PharMerica
PharMerica Corporation is a leading provider of institutional and community-based pharmacy services. The company serves the long-term care, senior living, hospital, home infusion, behavioral, specialty and oncology pharmacy markets. Today, PharMerica operates 96 institutional pharmacies, 20 specialty home infusion pharmacies and five specialty oncology pharmacies in 45 states. PharMerica is a customer service and patient-focused organization serving institutional healthcare providers, such as skilled nursing facilities, senior living communities, hospitals, behavioral and seniors individuals receiving in-home care, and patients with cancer. The company provides highly reliable and accurate medication delivery and support services to approximately 250,000 individuals a day with unmatched service reliability, cost containment, and clinical, regulatory and educational support for its clients and their residents and patients. For more information visit www.PharMerica.com.

About KKR
KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_C.