Goldman Sachs is helping the Nasdaq-listed drugmaker assess interest, said the news service, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Warner Chilcott is also considering paying a dividend as an alternative to a sale, one person said.

Warner Chilcott's stock rose 8 percent to $18.79 on Friday on takeover speculation, giving it a market capitalization of $4.7 billion, after the Times of London said in a market report there was talk Bayer might bid $32 a share.

Reuters reported on April 25 that Bayer was nearing a multibillion-dollar acquisition to bolster its healthcare division, citing three people close to the planned transaction.

Warner Chilcott focuses on women's health care, dermatology, urology and gastroenterology.

(Reporting by Ben Hirschler)

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