Walgreens to buy remainder of Shields Health for $1.4B

By TOM MURPHY
AP Health Writer

Walgreens is spending nearly $1.4 billion to buy the remaining stake in Shields Health Solutions it doesn’t already own and continue pushing into the fast-growing area of specialty pharmacy. The drugstore chain says it will acquire a 30% stake in a deal expected to close by the end of this year.  Walgreens started building a minority investment in the privately held Shields in 2019 and increased its share to about 70% last year. The 10-year-old company helps health systems set up and run specialty pharmacies, which manage medications for people with complex and chronic medical conditions.