Geo, Appropriate Health Services d/b/a StayHealthy.com, Inc.
saved AVAL and us and they are the ones who are taking
AVAL's possibilities to reality.
If anyone has a shred of doubt about the financial heat generated
by the Internet health sites, look who is trying to buy a big stake
in another one out there (not a competitor, in my opinion:
SEATTLE, May 11 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. is in
negotiations to buy a significant stake in WebMD Inc., which
operates an Internet site for health-care professionals and
consumers, according to a source familiar with the deal.
Officials of Microsoft and WebMD declined to comment on
reports of the deal, which first surfaced last month.
According to reports, Microsoft wants to buy up to 27
percent of WebMD for $300 million or more before the
Atlanta-based company's initial public offering, expected
within the next several months.
WebMD launched operations last October but already has
attracted an impressive list of investors and distribution
partners, including chemical and pharmaceuticals giant DuPont
Co., which has committed $220 million over five years.
WebMD offers a subscription-based service for doctors and
other health care professionals intended to provide a
single-point Web-based solution to common administrative,
communcations and research tasks. For consumers the site offers
information and discussion forums on health-related topics.
Such industry-specific "vertical portals" are likely to
become increasingly important as the Internet continues to grow
and users seek quicker points of access to information than
provided by the major portal sites, analysts say.
"There is going to be a great opportunity for specialized
Web sites that can carve out niches aligned with specific
communities or industries," said Dwight Davis, an analyst with
Summit Strategies. "They will be important supplements for the
big global portal sites."
REUTERS
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