Exclusive: Bayer, Novartis, others eye Merck's consumer health unit - sources

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Exclusive: Bayer, Novartis, others eye Merck's consumer health unit - sources

<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-bayer-novartis-others-eye-merck-39-consumer-211229590--sector.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/bdh4iH1Pb1NNTfY7BcBJvQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9NzU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2014-02-19T211229Z_1_CBREA1I1MXH00_RTROPTP_2_BRAZIL.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Marijn Dekkers, the Chairman of Management Board and Chief Executive Officer of Bayer AG, arrives to attend a media conference in Sao Paulo" align="left" title="Marijn Dekkers, the Chairman of Management Board and Chief Executive Officer of Bayer AG, arrives to attend a media conference in Sao Paulo" border="0" /></a>By Olivia Oran, Soyoung Kim and Anjuli Davies NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - A handful of consumer and healthcare companies including Bayer AG and Novartis are exploring a deal for Merck &amp; Co Inc's consumer healthcare business, as they seek to gain scale in a fragmented industry, according to several people familiar with the matter. Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC and Procter &amp; Gamble Co are also among the parties that have held discussions with Merck about buying the unit, best known for Coppertone sunscreen and Claritin allergy medicine, the sources said this week. The Merck business, which also includes Dr. Scholl's foot care and other consumer products, could be worth $10 billion to $12 billion in a potential sale, the people said, asking not to be identified because the process is private. Despite the large size of a potential deal and the unit's various product lines, Merck is focused on selling the consumer health business in its entirety, not in parts, the people said.</p><br clear="all"/>

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