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Daiichi Sankyo, said to have spurned an AstraZeneca bid, says it's 'not the fact'
by
Carly Helfand |
Aug 31, 2017 11:14am
Did Daiichi Sankyo receive a buyout bid from AstraZeneca last year? According to the Japanese drugmaker, no.
In response to a story from Japanese publication Nikkei Business, which claimed Daiichi had turned away an AZ acquisition bid, Daiichi released a short
statement on Thursday saying, "this is not the fact." It's still unclear, however, whether the two companies discussed a deal more informally.
No clarification was forthcoming from AstraZeneca. "We have nothing to share as we don’t comment on rumors or speculation," a spokeswoman said via email.
Before Daiichi's rebuttal, Nikkei's
report sent shares skyward by as much as 13% and triggered a trading halt on the Nikkei exchange.