ASTRA-ZENECA CHIEF REJECTS RUMOURS OF RIVAL MERGER

THE Scots-born chief executive of pharmaceuticals group Astra-Zeneca has strongly played down the need for any merger of his firm with a rival. Sir Tom McKillop, who earlier this month took over as deputy chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland, rebuffed speculation about another deal similar to the massive merger that created the current company in 1999, arguing that growth could come through existing products and commercial expansion into new markets.

Edinburgh Evening News (http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/business.cfm?id=1995712005)