"The potential and size of the joint company and the prospects its opens up for the Indian operations excites us," Shankar Srinivasan, managing director, Healtheon India, said on Thursday.

The merger of Healtheon Corporation with WebMD, the Atlanta based online health information and services company, MEDE America, leading provider of healthcare transaction solutions, and Medcast, healthcare industry news provider, was formalised on Tuesday bringing the companies under the joint banner of Healtheon/WebMD.

The company also announced the launch of a new WebMd.com portal bringing together physicians and consumers the worldover and providing them information and services at the same site.

The new portal has been designed and developed by the Healtheon India staff in Hyderabad who have been working on the project since last May when the intention for the merger was announced, Srinivasan said.