Board Appointments

AstraZeneca PLC
18 March 2002



              ASTRAZENECA PLC: BOARD APPOINTMENTS AND NOMINATIONS


AstraZeneca PLC announces:



•    The proposal, for election at the Company's Annual General Meeting, of John
     Buchanan as a Non-Executive Director.  John Buchanan is currently an
     Executive Director and the Group Chief Financial Officer of BP plc.  He is
     also a Non-Executive Director of The Boots Company PLC.


•    As previously stated in the Annual Report and Form 20-F 2001, all of the 
     Company's current Directors (with the exception of Lars Ramqvist who will
     retire from the Board at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting) are
     presenting themselves for re-election at the Annual General Meeting.


     The Company intends to despatch its Notice of Annual General Meeting to 
     shareholders on 25 March 2002.  As previously announced, the Annual General
     Meeting is to be held on 25 April 2002.


•    The appointment of Sir Peter Bonfield as the Board's senior Non-Executive 
     Director, a position which is recommended in the Combined Code on Corporate
     Governance appended to the Listing Rules of the UK Listing Authority.
     Sir Peter has been a Non-Executive Director of the Company for seven years.



G H R Musker
Company Secretary
18 March 2002



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