WebMD to Acquire Aptus Health
Sep 30, 2019, 06:00 ET
NEW YORK, Sept. 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- WebMD Health Corp., an Internet Brands company and the leader in health information services for consumers, physicians, and other healthcare professionals (HCPs), today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Aptus Health.
The acquisition includes Aptus Health's core brand Univadis, a global information and education platform delivering medical news, conference and research updates and thought-leader education to 4 million HCPs in 91 countries. In addition, the transaction includes Aptus Health's EngagedMedia, which supports patient engagement and adherence via an integrated mobile messaging platform and Tomorrow Networks, which offers data-driven, location-based mobile advertising and marketing solutions driven by consumer behavior.
The acquisition will combine the core competencies and scale of Aptus Health with that of WebMD and Medscape, the flagship consumer and health care professional brands in the WebMD network.
"Aptus Health is highly complementary to WebMD's existing professional and consumer brands, making them an excellent addition to our platforms," said Bob Brisco, WebMD CEO. "Together, we can leverage our combined strengths to extend our reach and engagement to health care professionals, patients and consumers."
The addition of Aptus Health's flagship brand Univadis to the Medscape franchise will build on Medscape's unrivaled reach as the leading global source of clinical news, health information, education and point-of-care tools for health care professionals worldwide.
"Univadis strengthens our commitment to deliver best-in-class content and tools to millions of physicians worldwide," said Jeremy Schneider, Senior Vice President and Group General Manager, WebMD Global. "With Univadis, we deepen our connection to local markets, extend our reach to HCP audiences and increase our value to customers."
Based in Reading, MA, Aptus Health is wholly owned by Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada. Aptus Health will continue to operate as an independent subsidiary of WebMD, as the companies build on and integrate products, platforms, and services. The acquisition is expected to be complete in October and is subject to customary closing conditions. Terms of the deal are not being disclosed.
About Aptus Health
Aptus Health offers health and life sciences companies a truly connected approach to engaging healthcare professionals, consumers and other stakeholders through an array of high-value digital information channels and services. By applying this portfolio of assets—informed by rich engagement data and analytics—Aptus designs and builds integrated multichannel engagement solutions that allow its clients to dynamically connect with their customers at key points in their decision-making journeys and impact behavior at scale.
Aptus Health is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey, U.S.A. (known as MSD outside the United States and Canada) ("Merck"), with its own independent employees, editorial process, business and financial operations, and governance. Aptus Health maintains its information independent from Merck and maintains confidentiality of its customers' information from Merck. More information can be found at www.AptusHealth.com.
About Medscape
Medscape is the leading source of clinical news, health information, and point-of-care tools for health care professionals. Medscape offers specialists, primary care physicians, and other health professionals the most robust and integrated medical information and educational tools. Medscape Education (medscape.org) is the leading destination for continuous professional development, consisting of more than 30 specialty-focused destinations offering thousands of free CME and CE courses and other educational programs for physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals.
Both Medscape and Medscape Education are part of WebMD Health Corp., an Internet Brands company.
About WebMD Health Corp.
WebMD Health Corp., an Internet Brands Company, is the leading provider of health information services, serving patients, physicians, health care professionals, employers, and health plans through our public and private online portals, mobile platforms, and health-focused publications. The WebMD Health Network includes WebMD Health, Medscape, Jobson Healthcare Information, prIME Oncology, MediQuality, Frontline, QxMD, Vitals Consumer Services, MedicineNet, eMedicineHealth, RxList, OnHealth, Medscape Education, and other owned WebMD sites. WebMD®, Medscape®, CME Circle®, Medpulse®, eMedicine®, MedicineNet®, theheart.org®, and RxList® are among the trademarks of WebMD Health Corp. or its subsidiaries.
About Internet Brands
Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., Internet Brands® is a fully integrated online media and software services organization focused on four high-value vertical categories: Health, Automotive, Legal and Home/Travel. The company's award-winning consumer websites lead their categories and serve more than 250 million monthly visitors, while a full range of web presence offerings has established deep, long-term relationships with SMB and enterprise clients. Internet Brands' powerful, proprietary operating platform provides the flexibility and scalability to fuel the company's continued growth. Internet Brands is a portfolio company of KKR and Temasek. For more information, please visit www.internetbrands.com.
SOURCE WebMD Health Corp.
