WASHINGTON – Six members of the Maryland Congressional delegation have written to Pfizer CEO Ian Read concerning the company’s potential acquisition of AstraZeneca, which employs over 3,000 in Maryland. The letter was signed by Senator Ben Cardin, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Barbara A. Mikulski, Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (MD-2), Congressman Chris Van Hollen (MD-8), Congressman John Sarbanes (MD-3) and Congressman John K. Delaney (MD-6).

The text of the letter is copied below:

Dear Mr. Read,

We are writing to express our concern about potential job losses in our state that could flow from Pfizer’s potential takeover of AstraZeneca. We understand you are likely to submit another offer before a May 26 deadline. As you review your options moving forward, we request you give serious consideration to the US jobs at stake in this possible acquisition. Particularly, AstraZeneca currently employs over 3,000 people in Maryland.

It has been widely reported that if a deal moves forward, Pfizer has committed to keeping at least 20 percent of the combined company’s research and development workforce in the UK for at least five years, as well as retaining substantial manufacturing facilities at AstraZeneca’s site south of Manchester. Given the distribution of AstraZeneca’s current workforce, we worry that jobs in the United States would be eliminated in the takeover. 

As you evaluate your next steps, we ask you to extend similar assurances to those you gave in the UK to the research and development workforce in Maryland. AstraZeneca and its MedImmune subsidiary have strong presences in the state, and their workforces are highly skilled and extremely effective. In addition, the MedImmune research facility in Maryland has an international reputation for world-class expertise and is located in the heart of our nation’s biotech corridor near the National Institutes of Health. If a deal moves forward, Pfizer would benefit greatly from maintaining their Maryland facilities and workforce.

Thank you for your attention in the matter, and we look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Senator Benjamin L. Cardin

Senator Barbara A. Mikulski
C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger Member of Congress
Chris Van Hollen Member of Congress
John Sarbanes Member of Congress
John K. Delaney Member of Congress