Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG is considering to sell its ophthalmology and respiratory units, a Bloomberg report said on Wednesday citing people familiar with the matter.

The company is seeking to raise money from the possible sale of the assets to invest in cutting-edge medicines, the report said, adding that the ophthalmology unit could alone fetch about $5 billion.

The drugmaker did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

In August, Novartis said it was planning to spin off its generics unit, Sandoz, to sharpen its focus on its patented prescription medicines.

(Reporting by Bhanvi Satija and Raghav Mahobe in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi)