Two of the largest medical supply companies are merging, positioning the combined company to become the market leader.
The announcement comes at the same time that Amazon, already in the medical supply business, said it is considering getting into prescriptions.
Amazon already sells surgical equipment and some supplies, as well as medical software services.
On Thursday, the online retailer said supplying prescriptions may help it further enter into the healthcare space.
The day before, Illinois-based Medline said it will buy Centurion Medical Products, a Michigan-based medical supply manufacturer with locations in Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Mexico.
Medline claims to be the world's largest privately-owned manufacturer and marketer of medical supplies, with over $10 billion in global sales annually.
All locations, including the Arizona location in Chandler, are expected to remain fully-functioning as part of this deal. The all-cash transaction is expected to close early December.
