LONDON (Reuters) - Senior management from U.S. drugmaker Pfizer (N:PFE) and British pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca (L:AZN) will be called before a British parliamentary committee to answer questions on a potential takeover deal, the committee chairman said on Tuesday.
AstraZeneca on Friday rejected a 63 billion-pound ($106.26 billion) bid from Pfizer, but the U.S. firm is expected to pursue its efforts to acquire Britain's second-largest pharmaceutical company.
"Are we certain that the national interest has been properly protected?" Andrew Miller, chairman of the British Parliament's Science and Technology Committee, told Reuters.
"It is up to them who they field as long as they field people who have got the authority to answer questions," Miller said, adding that the best solution would be to see the chief executives in front of his committee.
Miller, a lawmaker from the opposition Labour party, said the panel has no power to block the bid but that he wants "a lot more information" on the impact on Britain's science base and intellectual property from any potential takeover.
The British parliament's Business, Innovation and Skills Committee will also call representatives from the two companies, a spokesman said.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by William Schomberg)