Novartis to sell off blood transfusion diagnostics unit

BASEL, Switzerland — Swiss drug maker Novartis is selling its blood transfusion diagnostics business to a Spanish manufacturer for $1.675 billion, Novartis said Monday.

The drug maker said it expected the sale, to Grifols, to be completed in 2014. Novartis bought the Emeryville, Calif.-based unit in 2006 as part of its acquisition of Chiron. Its sales in 2012 were about $565 million. Grifols is headquartered in Barcelona.

"The sale of the Novartis blood transfusion diagnostics unit enables us to focus more sharply on our strategic businesses while providing Grifols with a platform for global expansion," Novartis CEO Joseph Jimenez said. "I am especially pleased that the agreement with Grifols provides our associates with an opportunity to join a company that will focus on growing this business aggressively."