AstraZeneca's chief executive has splashed out just over £2m on buying shares in the pharmaceutical group, suggesting there are no takeover discussions currently going on.
AstraZeneca fought off a £69bn approach from US group Pfizer at the end of May, arguing the proposed deal undervalued the business.
Pfizer cannot return for another attempt at its target for six months unless AstraZeneca agrees to open talks, in which case it could make a new bid at the end of August.
But AstraZeneca boss Pascal Soriot seems to have put paid to the idea that any discussions on the subject are taking place, since he bought 46,200 shares in the company on Monday at £43.45 each.
Soriot predicted AstraZeneca's sales could double to around $45 billion by 2023 as part of his defence against the bid, which ran into opposition from politicians and scientists who were concerned about the future fate of AstraZeneca jobs. In addition, part of the attraction for Pfizer was the ability to move to a lower tax base.
But some shareholders wanted AstraZeneca to engage with the US firm, and some have suggested Soriot's pay should be tied to getting the company's share price to the £55 level offered by Pfizer.
In the market AstraZeneca has added 55p to 4395.5p.
