The proposed sale will comprise the healthcare business of Kantar’s Profiles division, which offers healthcare data for research agencies, healthcare consultancies and pharmaceutical companies.

The sale will also include Kantar Media Healthcare Research, the research business of Kantar Media, which provides media measurement, audience insights and advertising intelligence for pharma and other healthcare advertisers, agencies and media companies.

Kantar sold Kantar Health to US healthcare technology firm Cerner Corporation for $375m two years ago.

The proposed sale is expected to conclude in early July 2023, subject to completion of shareholder, legal and other processes, including consultation processes with employee representatives where necessary.

The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Chris Jansen, chief executive at Kantar, said: “Today we set these two great businesses on a path for continued sustainable growth and leadership. Under this proposed new ownership structure, they will have the strategic framework and ecosystem to continue growing and innovating in their industry. At the same time, Kantar can more completely focus on its strategic priorities of empowering the world’s biggest consumer companies to shape their brand future.”

Anton Richter, chief executive, M3 Global Research, part of the M3 Group, said that combining its existing assets and resources with those of Kantar Profiles health and Kantar Media Healthcare Research would extend its research data for the life sciences industry. 

Richter added: “The KMHR addition expands our business operations and lays a foundation for our continued ambitious growth in healthcare market research, while bolstering our service offering for our growing global client base.”