Pharma Giant's Data Breach Affects Over a Million

Cencora, formerly known as AmerisourceBergen, has notified over 1.4 million individuals across the United States about a significant data breach that occurred earlier this year. The breach, which took place in February, involved the compromise of sensitive personal and health information obtained through Cencora's partnerships with pharmaceutical companies. The affected data includes patient names, addresses, dates of birth, health diagnoses, medications, and prescriptions. Despite the extensive notifications, Cencora has not confirmed the exact number of individuals impacted, citing challenges in reaching all affected parties due to outdated address information. The company has served approximately 18 million patients to date, with Texas reporting the highest number of notifications at around 1.05 million. Cencora's spokesperson, Mike Iorfino, acknowledged the notifications but refrained from providing a more precise figure or further comments on the breach. This incident ranks among the largest health-related data breaches of 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Other notable breaches this year include Kaiser, which notified over 13.4 million individuals, and Sav-Rx, which reported 2.8 million affected by a cyberattack. Additionally, a ransomware attack on Change Healthcare is believed to have impacted at least 100 million U.S. residents, although Cencora has stated that its breach is unrelated to this incident. As the situation develops, the full extent of the breach and its implications for patient privacy remain a concern for many.