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UPDATE 2-Assura scales back fundraising

Tue Oct 7, 2008 12:09pm EDT

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(Adds CEO comments, analyst comments, share price)

LONDON, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Assura Group (AGRP.L), one of the UK's biggest private owners of GP surgeries, said on Tuesday it was cutting back its fundraising due to market turmoil.

The company said it was raising 80 million pounds ($141 million) and focussing on its core medical operating businesses and its GP provider companies.

Shares in the company closed down 11.4 percent.

Analysts said potentially all the investors who had been interested in buying in to the company could have bought into the placing, leaving no further buying interest following the strategy announcement.

Medical property investor and developer Assura said it would raise 30 million pounds by placing 81 million new shares at 37 pence -- a 9.8 percent discount to Monday's closing price -- and would take out new long-term loans totalling 50 million pounds.

Chief Executive Richard Burrell also told Reuters the company could sell a number of its GP surgeries that it was not turning into a GP provider company.

He said the company could sell three or four surgeries this year, and more next year.

"With this increased financing package, Assura will be very well positioned to take advantage of ... opportunities as the government further opens up the provision of NHS primary care services to the private sector," Burrell said in a statement.

(Reporting by Dan Lalor and Ben Deighton; Editing by David Cowell and Sharon Lindores)



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