No prospect of Pfizer deal, says Astra CEO

The chairman of AstraZeneca said yesterday he saw no prospect of a deal with US drugmaker Pfizer before a deadline of next Monday set under UK takeover rules, or any likelihood of that deadline being extended.

Leif Johansson also said it was Pfizer, not AstraZeneca, that called an end to discussions on Sunday about a potential takeover to create the world’s largest pharmaceuticals company.

Mr Johansson said he and AstraZeneca chief executive Pascal Soriot had spoken with Pfizer CEO Ian Read for more than an hour on Sunday afternoon.