WebMD to Expand Health Outreach with Aptus Health

Leading online medical resource, WebMD, is set to acquire Aptus Health, a global health platform that provides combined information to four million health care professionals (HCPs) in 91 countries. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, and the acquisition is expected to finalize this month.

The acquisition will further expand WebMD’s platform of services, international reach, and its scope of medical content by combining Aptus’ various components, specifically its EngagedMedia, a mobile messaging platform that directly supports patients, and Tomorrow Networks, a location-based mobile advertising and marketing system driven by consumer behavior.

Founded in 2008, the Reading, MA-based company, which partners with pharmaceutical and life science companies to create information and services for healthcare professionals, will continue to operate independently under the WebMD acquisition and build on its existing platforms and services.

“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, in a statement. “Together, we can leverage our combined strengths to extend our reach and engagement to health care professionals, patients and consumers.”

The acquisition also includes Univadis, Aptus’ core brand, and the world’s largest HCP platform, providing medical news, research, and conference updates to its millions of users. This will also expand the Medscape franchise, currently under the WebMD Health Corp. umbrella, another key source of health information, clinical news, and point-of-care tools for HCPs globally.

In addition to Medscape, the WebMD Network also includes MedicineNews, eMedicineNetwork, RxList, OnHealth, accompanying apps, and more.

"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, in a statement. “With Univadis, we deepen our connection to local markets, extend our reach to HCP audiences and increase our value to customers.”

In August, WebMD, which was purchased by El Segundo, CA-based Internet Brands in 2017, also acquired QxMD, a Canadian technology company that offers mobile-based tools and personalized solutions for physicians and health care professionals, including clinical calculators and other services.