Members of the U.S. Congress from Maryland and Massachusetts expressed concern on Saturday that thousands of jobs in their districts could be at risk if U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc completes a takeover of UK-based AstraZeneca Plc. "The scale of this is really causing people to pay attention. I'm really concerned about it," said Democratic Representative John Delaney, whose Maryland district includes a 3,000-worker facility of AstraZeneca's MedImmune unit.His remarks came as Pfizer tried to allay worries in the United States and Britain about layoffs possibly resulting from its $106-billion bid for its UK rival, in what would be the largest-ever foreign takeover of a British company.AstraZeneca so far has spurned Pfizer, which has a history of big job cuts after past acquisitions. The U.S. company was considering its next move, possibly a sweetened offer.Representative Delaney said in an interview: "We encourage Pfizer to look hard at the MedImmune asset and hopefully get comfortable that this is something they'd want to keep here."
AstraZeneca PLC (AstraZeneca) is a global biopharmaceutical company. Shares of AZN fell by 1.91% or $-1.5/share to $77.24. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $46.87 and as high as $82.68. On average, 3928880 shares of AZN exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 15000377.
Pfizer Inc. (Pfizer) is a research-based, global biopharmaceutical company. Shares of PFE fell by 0.48% or $-0.14/share to $29.03. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $27.12 and as high as $32.96. On average, 30097300 shares of PFE exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 38996256.
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