Physicians Interactive bought the health community platform with financing supplied by existing investor Merck, through its Global Health Innovation Fund.

US-based online health community platform MedHelp has been acquired by Physicians Interactive (PI), a healthcare company backed by the Merck Global Health Innovation Fund.

In January 2012 the Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, a subsidiary of pharmaceutical company Merck, invested $8.5m in PI in 2012, with a further $8.5m in milestone payments pledged. It subsquently took a controlling stake in the company in August 2013.

Merck Global Health Innovation financed PI’s acquisition of MedHelp, though details of the acquisition have…