AstraZeneca CEO says company on hunt for buyout targets – Reuters
Win McNamee/Getty Images News

In an interview with Reuters on Tuesday, Pascal Soriot, the Chief Executive of Anglo-Swiss pharma giant AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN), said that the company is looking to acquire small and mid-sized companies focused on oncology and cardiovascular treatments.
"We always look for external opportunities," he said, citing the company's plans to seek bolt-on acquisitions.
Soriot's comments come after Astra's (AZN) Swiss rival Alcon (ALC) announced a $770M deal on Monday to acquire Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AERI), a U.S.-based firm focused on glaucoma treatments. 

During the interview, Soriot also said that the company might not stay in its vaccine business in the long term.
An early entrant to the COVID-19 vaccine race, AstraZeneca (AZN) has lagged its rivals Pfizer (PFE)/ BioNTech (BNTX) and Moderna (MRNA), which dominate the U.S. market with messenger-RNA-based vaccines. 
"I cannot be sure the company will remain in the COVID vaccines business," Soriot said, adding that the company might also drop plans to expand its vaccine portfolio.
After regulatory setbacks and amid concerns over rare side effects, Astra (AZN) has yet to receive U.S. regulatory nod for its vector-based shot.
Read: A recent report from PwC points to further M&A prospects in biotech for deals in the range of $5B â $15B due to antitrust concerns.