Apax anxious for exit

Private equity shop Apax has hired Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs to look into the possible sale or IPO for Molnlycke Health Care, a Gothenburg, Sweden-based supplier of surgical gloves, wound dressings and other medical products, according to the Financial Times. Among the potential bidders cited in the story are Smith & Nephew, Johnson & Johnson and Stryker and Zimimer. Apax acquired Molnlycke Health Care from Nordic Capital in July 2005, then merged it with portfolio companies Regent Medical and Medlock. The company employs about 5,500 people, and generated sales of about 374 million Euros ($491 million) in the first half of 2006. www.molnlycke.com