Rumor: AstraZeneca could be weighing Cubist buyout

The Telegraph reported on some fresh takeover rumors last night, noting new gossip that British drugmaker AstraZeneca ($AZN) is considering a buyout of Lexington, MA-based Cubist Pharmaceuticals ($CBST), which offers potential suitors immediate additional cash flow from its top-selling antibiotic for complicated skin and MRSA infections, Cubicin. The antibiotic brought in nearly $600 million in sales last year, and some analysts think the drug might be destined for blockbuster status. AstraZeneca, which has a license to the antibiotic for the Chinese market, presumably knows the group at Cubist quite well. But we'll see whether the rumor mill proves correct on this one. Report