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)

Stocks treated in this article : Bayer AG, Warner Chilcott Plc