AstraZeneca on hunt for acquisitions - CEO

AstraZeneca is interested in acquiring small and mid-sized companies specialising in oncology and cardiovascular treatments, Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said in a Reuters Newsmaker interview on Tuesday. "We always look for external opportunities," he said. Soriot has presided over a quadrupling of AstraZeneca's share price in his decade at the helm. "I can keep doing this job for many years," he said in the interview.

AstraZeneca is interested in acquiring small and mid-sized companies specialising in oncology and cardiovascular treatments, Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said in a Reuters Newsmaker interview on Tuesday.

"We always look for external opportunities," he said. Soriot has presided over a quadrupling of AstraZeneca's share price in his decade at the helm.

"I can keep doing this job for many years," he said in the interview. The 63-year old was once seen as a natural successor to outgoing Chairman Leif Johansson.

But in July, Soriot quashed speculation he was planning to retire any time soon, saying he expected to work with the company's newly announced chairman-designate Michel Demare for many years to come.