NEW YORK, July 18 (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc decided notto pursue a bid for Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc this week,according to two people familiar with the matter, leaving AmgenInc in the pole position to buy the cancer drugmakerwith a market value of nearly $10 billion.
Onyx, which rejected Amgen's $120 per share bid and insteadput itself up for sale on June 30, was expecting to receivefirst-round offers from a few interested parties as soon as thisweek, people familiar with the matter previously told Reuters.
Pfizer, among the drugmakers that have been evaluating a bidas recently as a few days ago, has decided not to move forward,mainly on concerns that Onyx has become too expensive after arecent run-up in its share price, the people said on Thursday.
The sources asked not to be named because details of theauction are not public. Pfizer and Onyx declined to comment.Amgen did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Astrazeneca (AZN)
Glaxosmithkline (GSK)
