Dec 19 (Reuters) - Medline has confidentially filed for

an initial public offering in the United States, paving the way

for one of the major stock market flotations in 2025 that could

value the medical supplies provider as high as $50 billion.

The company has not determined the size of the offering, it

said on Thursday, but Reuters reported last month the stock sale

could fetch $5 billion.

Economic resilience, a market rally and hopes of a

business-friendly administration are fueling a surge in IPO

activity, with Medline set to be one of the many high-profile

companies competing for investor dollars next year.

A wave of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve has

already bolstered the IPO market in 2024, allowing cloud-based

software company ServiceTitan and China's self-driving

startup WeRide to go public.

Medline's offering could also be a major win for its private

equity owners - Blackstone, Carlyle and Hellman &

Friedman, which together acquired the company in a deal worth

$34 billion in 2021.

Medline is one of the largest manufacturers and distributors

of medical supplies such as surgical equipment, gloves and

laboratory devices used by hospitals around the world.

The company was founded in 1966 by brothers James and Jon

Mills. It traces its roots to a garment manufacturer, which

initially made butcher's aprons for the meatpacking industry

starting in 1910.

In the years that followed, its predecessor began sewing

surgeons' gowns and uniforms at the request of nuns from Mercy

Hospital in Chicago.

Medline went public in 1972, before being taken private

again by the brothers. Its longtime CEO Charlie Mills, the son

of James Mills, retired from Medline last year, with company

veteran Jim Boyle replacing him at the helm.

The IPO could value the Northfield, Illinois-based company

at $50 billion and may come as early as the second quarter,

Reuters has reported.