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US/UK: Pfizer, AstraZeneca spark $101B merger chatter

By  |  April 21, 2014

Pharmaceutical giants Pfizer, based in the US, and AstraZeneca, based in the UK, are now rumored to be in merger discussions, potentially striking a deal some say could be worth $101 billion.

UK reports say Pfizer has resisted the acquisition approaches from its US competitor, with which it has worked on a number of joint ventures in recent years.

While the UK pharmaceutical firm has rejected the alleged takeover approach, Pfizer could re-bid on the company in efforts to boost its cancer treatment portfolio through AstraZeneca patents.

Both companies declined to comment on the rumors, but industry experts expect the takeover discussions to be genuine.

Full Content: Reuters

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