Glaxo CEO designate lauds consumer health business

LONDON (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK.L) CEO designate, who takes the helm at Europe's biggest drugmaker from May 22, said on Thursday he was excited by prospects for the company's consumer healthcare business.

Andrew Witty's remarks to reporters in a post-results news conference suggest he will not want to divest the unit -- a strategy some industry analysts have suggested in the past.

"The more time I spend there, the more excited I am about what our capability is in the consumer business," he said. "I am very optimistic about what that business can do for us going forward."

Witty also said he would adopt a "restless" approach to the group's research organisation, in a constant drive to improve productivity and efficiency.

(Reporting by Ben Hirschler)