AstraZeneca rejected a $119 billion merger offer from Pfizer.
David RidleyFaculty director, Health Sector Management, Fuqua School of Business, Duke Universitydavid.ridley@duke.edu http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/faculty_research/faculty_directory/ridley/
Ridley is an expert in innovation, location and pricing in health care. He proposed a priority review voucher, which became law in 2007, to encourage companies to design drugs for neglected diseases.
Quote:"Pfizer pursued AstraZeneca in order to become British and thus lower its tax bill, and to create 'synergies' and an excuse to cut costs. Some of the costs that Pfizer would cut would undoubtedly be in research and development. However, it isn't clear that large pharmaceutical companies are particularly good at R&D anyway. Many large pharmaceutical companies are investing in research at smaller companies."