Pfizer says keen to engage with AstraZeneca board

13/05/2014 - 7:18

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. drugmaker Pfizer kept up the pressure on bid target AstraZeneca on Tuesday, saying its offer represented compelling value for a company which would otherwise face challenges as a standalone firm.

PFIZER (PFE.NY)released a statement to set out its case for the deal, just hours before its chief executive appears in front of a British parliamentary committee to explain why he wants to acquire Britain's second largest drugmaker.

ASTRAZENECA (AZN.LO)has rejected a $106 billion bid from Pfizer but the U.S. group is widely expected to return with a higher offer later this week.

(Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Neil Maidment)