Chris Hughes, Columnist

Trust Us, We're Scientists

Investor patience is drugmaker's last remaining weapon.

August 4, 2016 at 6:45 AM UTC

Chris Hughes is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering deals. Previously, he worked for Reuters Breakingviews, the Financial Times and the Independent newspaper.

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AstraZeneca shares are getting a boost from speculation the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker might be taken over by Swiss rival Novartis. If the company does get an approach, it would be far harder to rebuff than Pfizer's failed advances of 2014.

Astra's attraction is its pipeline of potential future medicines. Tactically, it would make sense for a bidder to secure a deal now ahead of a raft of regulatory and clinical news due in the next 12 months.