Roche says committed to diabetes care after report it may exit

[February 01, 2017]  ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss drugmaker Roche said on Wednesday it remains committed to its diabetes care business following a report that the company was considering options for the unit.

There has been "no change", said a Roche spokesman. "We remain committed to Diabetes Care."

Bloomberg had reported alternatives for the unit could include a partial sale or spinoff and the sale could fetch as much as $5 billion, citing people familiar with the matter.

Roche said last year it had no plans to sell the business.

There has been activity with similar businesses, with Johnson & Johnson saying last week that it is looking to divest its diabetes division. Bayer AG sold its diabetes business to KKR and Panasonic in 2015 for $1.1 billion.

(Reporting by John Miller; Editing by Michael Shields)

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