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Our history

In 1948, Ed and Helen Besse founded our company as a family-owned pharmacy in Cincinnati, Ohio. The close bonds that they built with their community and their commitment to helping their patients live healthier lives still define the way we work today.

The original Besse soda shop and pharmacy
Besse storefront in the 1960s

The early 1960s

The Besse pharmacy expands

Besse storefront in the 1960s
To better serve its community, Besse’s Drugs opens a second location just across the street from its first store. The Besse family lives in the small apartment above.
Besse storefront in the 1960s

Smallpox vaccination poster

The late 1960s

Support at a moment’s notice

Besse receives a call from Ireland Army Hospital in Fort Knox, Kentucky, urgently seeking smallpox vaccine for a general preparing to leave for Vietnam. Bob Besse locates the vaccine, personally packages it, and sends it via airmail for next-day delivery ensuring its timely arrival, establishing a practice that would become a fundamental piece of our business.

1974

Besse fulfills its one millionth prescription


1979

Further expansion

Besse purchases the savings-and-loan office next to its original location, converting the space into a physicians’ office. It becomes the home of Besse Home Health Care.
Besse expansion in 1979

The Besse leadership in 1999

1990s

Growing to meet the needs of specialty practices

The Besse leadership in 1999
As business continues to accelerate, Besse grows to meet the needs of its customers, expanding its distribution capabilities, and national reach.
The Besse leadership in 1999

1998

Besse joins Bergen Brunswig


2001

Access to an even stronger network

AmerisourceBergen is born. Besse leverages the network’s scale to provide its customers even deeper pharmaceutical, vaccine, and biological offerings, allowing it to continue to grow alongside the expanding specialty practice market.

2001

Not just a large space, a smart space

Besse relocates to a 200,000 square-foot distribution center featuring advanced technologies that bolster accuracy and efficiency. Located just minutes from a main shipping hub, the center offers a unique degree of flexibility and reliability.

Using a handheld scanner

2017

Inventory management built for specialty practices

Using a handheld scanner
Besse acquires PODIS, the comprehensive procurement, inventory, and product management platform. It joins CubixxMD in Besse’s suite of best-in-class, specialty-focused inventory management tools.
Using a handheld scanner

Customer service associates working from home

2020

Supporting you during the pandemic

Customer service associates working from home
Besse Medical, like businesses all around the world, is hit by COVID-19. When the scale of the pandemic becomes clear, a massive operation swings into action across AmerisourceBergen to enable our office associates to work from home. Extra protections are put in place to ensure the safety of the essential workers supporting the healthcare supply chain in our distribution center. And new measures help meet surges in ordering caused by the increased need.
Customer service associates working from home

I had NO IDEA that you were working from home! Besse is, hands down, the best company that I work with.

Ashley N, Office Manager at a Family Practice in Colorado Springs, Colorado


The present day

Besse Medical continues to support specialty practitioners by offering the key insights, tools, and technologies that optimize business practices, elevate the patient experience, and lead to smarter reimbursements – all while delivering more of the products they need, safely and securely.

Get in touch

Interested in learning more about how we can help your specialty practice? Reach out and we’ll start a conversation about how to best support you. That way, you’ve got the time to focus on what matters most: providing excellent care to your patients. 
Cheerful customer service representative