Fresenius drops possible sale of blood transfusion unit - spokesman

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German health care group Fresenius <FREG.DE> has abandoned plans to sell its blood transfusion business, a spokesman said on Sunday, confirming a German media report.

Sources had told Reuters in May that Fresenius had approached potential suitors about selling the unit and had hired Goldman Sachs <GS.N> for that purpose.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper reported on Sunday that the company had dropped those plans.

"I confirm that the transfusion business will continue to be operated by Fresenius," a spokesman for the firm said in an email when asked about the report.

He added that after exploring options for the blood transfusion business, Fresenius reached the conclusion that it was best to keep the unit and develop it with investments.

(Reporting by Patricia Weiss; Writing by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Jan Harvey)