(Bloomberg) -- The French government is looking at options including state-owned investment bank BPIfrance taking a stake in the consumer health business that Sanofi is in talks to sell to US buyout firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice, Le Figaro reported on Monday.
There will be a screening process and the deal won’t go ahead without authorization, the newspaper added, citing the Finance Ministry.
CD&R is nearing the purchase of a 50% controlling stake in the Opella unit, beating out French rival PAI Partners, in a deal that people familiar with the matter have said would value it at about €15 billion ($16.4 billion). The division sells over-the-counter medications, including pain reliever Doliprane, which is the most-used drug in France.
Sanofi shares pared some of their earlier gains, trading up 0.3% at 11:22 a.m. Paris time.
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