IMS Health Buys Social Media Analyst Semantelli

US research giant IMS Health has acquired social media analytics firm Semantelli for an undisclosed sum.

Bridgewater, NJ-based Semantelli offers a set of cloud-based tools that automate the collection of insights into consumer and physician behavior and sentiments. Its proprietary technologies enable organizations to access, navigate and analyze both structured and unstructured data from thousands of online resources, including social networks and other social media platforms. It also offers a 'web 3.0 platform' which supports more than 50 languages and uses a set of medical taxonomies and algorithms, as well as named entity recognition, natural language processing and machine learning, to detect trends in disease areas and treatments.

Stefan Linn, SVP, Strategy & Global Pharmaceutical Solutions at IMS Health, says the buy will expand IMS's capabilities in the social media management and analytics space, citing a growing demand from clients looking to tap into those new channels which connect with healthcare professionals and consumers.

Semantelli joins an existing IMS suite of social media solutions that support healthcare organizations in the areas of market assessment, competitive intelligence, brand performance, risk management and consumer/healthcare professional engagement.

Former Semantelli CEO Siva Nadarajah (pictured), who now serves as Director, Offering Management, Social Media at IMS, adds: 'Life sciences companies, payers and providers need a fast and effective way to gain actionable insights from social media platforms. As part of IMS, we can bring the quickest and most accurate access to these insights to help manage risks, grow brand awareness, generate leads and identify emerging trends.'

Web sites: www.imshealth.com and www.semantelli.com .