Carlyle in $4bn deal with Johnson & Johson

New York - The Carlyle Group is in exclusive talks to buy Johnson & Johnson's blood-testing unit for $4bn, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

A person familiar with the matter told AFP in September that Johnson & Johnson had previously sought to obtain $5bn from the sale.

The Ortho Clinical Diagnostics unit specializes in making tests to determine a patient's blood type and screen for viruses such as HIV or hepatitis C. It also makes tests to diagnose a heart attack and determine heart damage.

Carlyle and a team of Blackstone Group and Danaher Corp have been competing to buy up the unit, according to the Journal.

It said Johson & Johnson favored Carlyle, which hopes to put more than $1bn in cash toward the deal.

The diagnostic testing market is estimated at $46bn worldwide and grows six to seven percent a year, according to consultants Frost & Sullivan.