Spanish group Grifols among bidders for Plasma Resources

The government is to sell Plasma Resources and could have made an offer to Spanish plasma product maker Grifols, according to Spanish daily Expansion.

The UK has hired investment bank Lazard to help sell its state-owned plasma company, which is valued between £200-300m.

German company Biotest is cited as a potential bidder, as is Grifols. However, the Spanish company is concerned about competition regulation problems.

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In a statement last week, UK Health Minister Dan Poulter said, "We are taking this action to secure a viable future of the company and its employees in the long term and to ensure that patients will continue to have access to high-quality medical products.

"No final decisions about this sale have been made and the Department of Health may continue to retain a stake in the business. We will choose the best offer to ensure that high-quality medical products continue to be available to patients."

By 09:15, shares of Grifols were up 0.54% to €24.13.

LS