Drugs chief in denial

ASTRAZENECA’S boss has insisted he cannot comment on rumours he is leaving the pharmaceuticals giant – even as uncertainty about his role wiped almost £3bn from the company.

Pascal Soriot, 58, yesterday admitted speculation he was poised to become chief executive of Israeli firm Teva Pharmaceuticals was ‘unfortunate indeed’.

But he declined to comment on the claims, instead telling the Mail: ‘Time should bring clarity to this situation. In the meantime, we all stay focused on our mission to bring new innovative medicines to patients.’

When reports emerged that Soriot was heading for the exit on Thursday, it sent shares in the FTSE 100 company – valued at about £62.7bn – 3.5pc lower.

They dropped again yesterday by another 0.3pc, or 14.5p, closing at 4998.5p. But Astra has repeatedly refused to put the speculation to bed, insisting it does not respond to rumours.

Its silence comes at a critical time as the firm waits for the results of a potentially gamechanging lung cancer drug trial.

Doubts about Soriot’s position have also fuelled fears Astra could become vulnerable to takeovers, after he fended off a £90bn bid by US rival Pfizer in 2014.