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Commitments and Contingent Liabilities
3 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2026
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingent Liabilities Commitments and Contingent Liabilities
In addition to commitments and obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business, the Company is subject to a variety of claims and legal proceedings, including claims from customers and vendors, pending and potential legal actions for damages, governmental investigations, and other matters. The Company and its affiliates are parties to the legal claims and proceedings described below and in Financial Note 17 to the Company’s 2026, Annual Report, which disclosure is incorporated in this footnote by this reference. The Company is vigorously defending itself against those claims and in those proceedings. Those matters, including commitments related to them and significant developments are described below. If the Company is unsuccessful in defending, or if it determines to settle, any of these matters, it may be required to pay substantial sums, be subject to injunction and/or be forced to change how it operates its business, which could have a material adverse impact on its financial position or results of operations.
Unless otherwise stated, the Company is unable to reasonably estimate the loss or a range of possible loss for the matters described below. Often, the Company is unable to determine that a loss is probable, or to reasonably estimate the amount of loss or a range of loss, for a matter because of the limited information available and the potential effects of future events and decisions by third parties, such as courts and regulators, that will determine the ultimate resolution of the matter. Many of the matters described are at preliminary stages, raise novel theories of liability, or seek an indeterminate amount of damages. It is not uncommon for claims to remain unresolved over many years. The Company reviews loss contingencies at least quarterly to determine whether the likelihood of loss has changed and whether it can make a reasonable estimate of the loss or range of loss. When the Company determines that a loss from a matter is probable and reasonably estimable, it records a liability for an estimated amount. The Company also provides disclosure when it is reasonably possible that a loss may be incurred or when it is reasonably possible that the amount of a loss will exceed its recorded liability. Amounts included within “Claims and litigation charges, net” in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations consist of estimated loss contingencies related to opioid-related litigation matters, as well as any applicable income items or credit adjustments due to subsequent changes in estimates.
Litigation and Claims Involving Distribution of Controlled Substances
The Company and its affiliates have been sued as defendants in many cases asserting claims related to distribution of controlled substances, such as opioids. They have been named as defendants along with other pharmaceutical wholesale distributors, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and retail pharmacies. The plaintiffs in these actions have included state attorneys general, county and municipal governments, school districts, tribal nations, hospitals, health and welfare funds, third-party payors, and individuals. The Company is not able to conclude that a liability is probable or provide a reasonable estimate for the range of ultimate possible loss for opioid-related litigation matters other than those for which an accrual is described below.
State and Local Government Claims
The Company and two other national pharmaceutical distributors (collectively “Distributors”) entered into a settlement agreement (the “Settlement”) and consent judgment with 48 states and their participating subdivisions, as well as the District of Columbia and all eligible territories (the “Settling Governmental Entities”). Approximately 2,300 cases have been dismissed. The Distributors did not admit liability or wrongdoing and do not waive any defenses pursuant to the Settlement. A minimum of 85% of the $7.9 billion Settlement payments, to be paid by 2038, must be used by the Settling Governmental Entities to remediate the opioid epidemic, while the remainder relates to plaintiffs’ attorneys’ fees and costs and will be paid out through 2030. Pursuant to the Settlement, the Distributors are in the process of establishing a clearinghouse to consolidate their controlled-substance distribution data, which will be available to the settling U.S. states to use as part of their anti-diversion efforts.
The Company has also entered into separate settlement agreements with: (i) Alabama and its subdivisions for approximately $174 million through 2031, and (ii) certain West Virginia subdivisions for approximately $152 million through 2033. The Company previously settled with the state of West Virginia and has satisfied that settlement. The agreement with West Virginia subdivisions does not include school districts or the claims of Cabell County and the City of Huntington. After a trial, the claims of Cabell County and the City of Huntington, were initially decided in the Company’s favor on July 4, 2022. Those subdivisions appealed that decision and on October 28, 2025, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued a decision reversing the trial court’s judgment and remanding the case to the trial court for additional proceedings.
Some state and local governmental subdivisions did not participate in the Settlement, including certain municipal governments, government hospitals, school districts, and government-affiliated third-party payors. The Company contends that those subdivisions’ claims are foreclosed by the Settlement or other dispositive defenses, but the subdivisions contend that their claims are not foreclosed. An accrual for the remaining governmental subdivision claims is reflected in the total estimated liability for opioid-related claims in a manner consistent with how Settlement amounts were allocated to Settling Governmental Entities.
The City of Baltimore, Maryland, is one such subdivision. A trial of its claims against the Company and another national pharmaceutical distributor began on September 16, 2024 in the Circuit Court of Maryland for Baltimore City, Mayor and City Council of Baltimore v. Purdue Pharma LP, No. 24-C-18-000515. On September 4, 2025, the trial court entered judgment against McKesson, awarding $37 million in compensatory damages and an additional $72 million in “monetary abatement” to fund programs related to drug abuse in Baltimore. On April 24, 2026, the Supreme Court of Maryland issued an order vacating the judgment against the Company and remanding the case to the Circuit Court of Maryland for Baltimore City for further proceedings. The City of Baltimore has dismissed its claim with prejudice, and the Company has reduced its overall opioid accrual by $32 million to reflect this outcome.
The district attorneys of the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Allegheny County, Pennsylvania did not participate in the Settlement and sought to bring separate claims against the Company, notwithstanding the settlement with the state of Pennsylvania and its attorney general. On January 26, 2024, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled that the Pennsylvania attorney general had settled and fully released the claims brought by those district attorneys under Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law. The district attorneys have appealed that decision to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. An accrual for the remaining governmental subdivision claims is reflected in the total estimated liability for opioid-related claims in a manner consistent with how Settlement amounts were allocated to Settling Governmental Entities.
Native American Tribe Claims
The Company also entered into settlement agreements for opioid-related claims of federally recognized Native American tribes. A minimum of 85% of the $196 million total settlement payments through 2027 must be used by the settling Native American tribes to remediate the opioid epidemic.
Non-Governmental Plaintiff Claims
The Company has also been a defendant in hundreds of opioid-related cases brought in the U.S. by private plaintiffs, such as hospitals, health and welfare funds, third-party payors, and individuals. These claims, and those of private entities generally, are not included in the settlement agreements described above. The Company and two other national distributors reached class-action settlements with representatives of nationwide groups of acute care hospitals and certain third-party payors. The claims of remaining U.S. non-governmental plaintiffs are not included in the charges recorded by the Company (described below).
With respect to the acute care hospitals, the Company reached a settlement of $149 million with a nationwide class, which the Company paid into escrow on November 27, 2024. With respect to the third-party payors, the Company reached a settlement of $114 million with a nationwide class, which the Company paid into escrow on February 12, 2025. The remaining escrow payments were presented as restricted cash within “Prepaid expenses and other” in the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of June 30, 2026.
The Company’s estimated accrued liability for the above-described opioid-related claims of U.S. governmental entities, including Native American tribes, and certain non-governmental plaintiffs, including a settlement with certain third-party payors and a nationwide class of acute care hospitals, was as follows:
(In millions)June 30, 2026March 31, 2026
Current litigation liabilities (1)
$602 $601 
Long-term litigation liabilities5,058 5,091 
Total litigation liabilities$5,660 $5,692 
(1)These amounts, recorded within “Other accrued liabilities” in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, are the amounts estimated to be paid within the next twelve months following each respective period end date.
During the three months ended June 30, 2026, the Company made no payments associated with the Settlement and the separate settlement agreements for opioid-related claims of participating states, subdivisions, and Native American tribes discussed above.
In July 2026, the Company made payments totaling $496 million associated with the Settlement and the separate settlement agreements for opioid-related claims of participating states, subdivisions, and Native American tribes.
Canadian Plaintiff Claims
The Company and its Canadian affiliate are also defendants in four opioid-related cases pending in Canada. These cases involve the claims of the provincial governments, municipal governments, a group representing indigenous people, as well as one case brought by an individual. The claims of a class of provincial governments are pending in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, Docket No. S-189395, and a common-issues trial is scheduled to begin on February 22, 2028.
Defense of Opioids Claims
The Company believes it has valid legal defenses in all opioid-related matters, including claims not covered by settlement agreements, and it intends to mount a vigorous defense in such matters. Other than the accruals described above, the Company has not determined that a loss is probable in any of the matters; nor is any possible loss or range of loss reasonably estimable. An adverse judgment or negotiated resolution in any of these matters could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s financial position, cash flows or liquidity, or results of operations.
Other Litigation and Claims
In July 2015, The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (“A&P”), a former customer of the Company, filed for reorganization in bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. In re The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc., et al., Case No. 15-23007. A suit filed in 2017 against the Company in this bankruptcy case seeks to recover alleged preferential transfers. The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors on behalf of the bankruptcy estate of The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc., et al. v. McKesson Corporation d/b/a McKesson Drug Co., Adv. Proc. No. 17-08264. On June 17, 2026, the court ruled that a portion of the transfers were preferential in an amount not material to the Company’s overall financial results.
Government Subpoenas and Investigations
From time to time, the Company receives subpoenas or requests for information from various governmental agencies. The Company generally responds to such subpoenas and requests in a cooperative, thorough, and timely manner. These responses sometimes require time and effort and can result in considerable costs being incurred by the Company. Such subpoenas and requests can lead to the assertion of claims or the commencement of civil or criminal legal proceedings against the Company and other members of the healthcare industry, as well as to settlements of claims against the Company. The Company responds to these requests in the ordinary course of business.
Antitrust Settlements
During the first fiscal quarter of 2027, the Company received immaterial net proceeds related to its share of antitrust settlements. The lawsuits were filed against drug manufacturers alleging that the manufacturers, by themselves or in concert with others, took improper anticompetitive actions with respect to the sale of their drugs. The Company was not a named party to the litigation but was a member of the representative classes of those who purchased directly from the pharmaceutical manufacturers. The Company recognized a gain within "Cost of sales" in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations in the first quarter of fiscal 2027 related to the settlements.