Ventiv Health has acquired Burlington, MA–based patient-compliance and persistency program provider Adheris. Terms of the deal include Ventiv’s purchase for $60 million in cash and stock plus earn-out payments for exceeding specified financial targets. The Adheris brand is expected to remain, and the company will operate under Ventiv’s communication division, a Ventiv spokesperson told MM&M. The deal is expected to close late in the first quarter.CommonHealth announced important milestones for two of its units. Health Learning Systems (HLS), CommonHealth’s medical-education unit founded in 1971, celebrated its 35th anniversary this month. Additionally, Altum, CommonHealth’s full-service professional healthcare advertising and promotion company, celebrated its first anniversary.