Alliance Boots and Cardinal Health have jointly announced a sourcing and marketing agreement for the sale of Almus generic prescription medicines. The agreement will enable both companies to gain additional, global experience in an increasingly competitive marketplace for generic pharmaceuticals.

"This joint agreement brings us a step closer to making Almus a truly international brand. We are very pleased to be working with Cardinal Health, combining our strengths and competencies to deliver Almus to the largest pharmaceutical medicines market in the world," said, Ornella Barra, wholesale and commercial affairs director, Alliance Boots.

The two companies have formed a marketing entity to serve as a platform for the introduction of the Almus brand of generic medicines into the US market. Generic pharmaceuticals sourced through this agreement will over time be labelled under the Almus brand and will be distributed by Cardinal Health in the United States.

"This agreement will enable us to explore new ways to deliver additional value to our retail pharmacy and sourcesm customers," said Mark Parrish, chief executive officer of Healthcare Supply Chain Services, Cardinal Health.

Alliance Boots is a leading, international pharmacy-ledhealth and beauty group and European market leader in its two core businesses, retail pharmacy and pharmaceutical wholesale. It has around 100,000 employees in more than 15 countries with revenue of £14.6 billion for the year ended 31 March 2007.

Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health, Inc. is an $87 billion, global company serving the health-care industry with products and services that help hospitals, physician offices and pharmacies reduce costs, improve safety, productivity and profitability, and deliver better care to patients.