AstraZeneca mega-merger speculation dampened

Industry sources played down claims that Covid vaccine maker Astrazenca could make a swoop for rival Gilead on Sunday following explosive reports the British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant had approached the US drugmaker about a £216bn mega-deal. Sources told Bloomberg that AstraZeneca, which is leading the global race to manufacture the first coronavirus vaccine in a partnership with Oxford University, had informally approached Gilead about a potential tie-up last month and Gilead discussed