Becton Dickinson & Co. (NYSE:BDX) is reportedly preparing to shed its respiratory devices business now that has the $12.4 billion acquisition of CareFusion under its belt.
Franklin Lakes, N.J.-based BD is working with advisors to plan the divestiture, having deferred the sale until the CareFusion buyout closed last week, according to Bloomberg.
Citing "people with knowledge of the matter," the news service reported that the respiratory business is the largest chunk of the planned asset sale and could bring in $1.5 billion to $2 billion. The process of disposing of assets is at an early stage and there is no guarantee Becton will reach any deal, they said.
"We’re conducting a strategic review of all of our businesses but haven’t made any decisions," spokeswoman Kristen Cardillo told Bloomberg, declining to comment on the specific asset sale.
The merger closed March 17, about 7 months after it was announced. Becton paid a total of $58.00 a share – $49.00 in cash and 0.0777 of a BDX share – for each CFN share, representing a premium of 26% to the closing price on Oct. 3.
The deal united 2 complementary product lines: BD makes products to deliver and administer drugs, such as disposable needles, syringes and intravenous catheters, while CareFusion makes products to store and deliver drugs, such as infusion pumps.