LONDON, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Shares in drugmakers AstraZeneca and Shire both fell more than 5 percent onTuesday after the U.S. Treasury took steps to curb "inversion"deals that allow companies to escape high U.S. taxes byreincorporating abroad.
The move appears to jeopardise an agreed deal for AbbVie to buy Shire for $55 billion and could deter Pfizer from making another attempt to acquire AstraZeneca,after a $118 billion takeover attempt failed in May.
Shares in medical devices firm Smith & Nephew,another perennial target of bid speculation, also fell more than2 percent. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; editing by Jason Neely)
Astrazeneca (AZN)
Smith & Nephew (SN.)