Bergen Brunswig Move Embroiled in Suit

A San Diego company has filed suit seeking to block Orange-based Bergen Brunswig Corp.’s pending acquisition of PharMerica Inc., a Tampa, Fla., supplier of drugs to nursing home patients, the defendant companies said Friday. The suit by PMR Corp. accuses a Bergen subsidiary of breaching an agreement with PMR, which provides disease management services for people with serious, persistent mental illnesses or chemical dependencies. A hearing on PMR’s request to halt the deal is scheduled Tuesday in San Diego County Superior Court. Bergen and PharMerica called PMR’s claims groundless. PMR executives would not comment Friday on the lawsuit. Federal antitrust officials approved the Bergen-PharMerica deal in January. After the acquisition, Bergen plans to add 168 pharmacy departments for PharMerica to run in long-term care facilities.