Capital Group

AstraZeneca PLC
11 September 2002


COMPANIES ACT 1985 SECTION 198
DISCLOSURE OF INTEREST IN VOTING SHARES IN PUBLIC COMPANIES


ON 11 SEPTEMBER 2002 WE WERE INFORMED BY THE CAPITAL GROUP COMPANIES, INC., A
REGISTERED INVESTMENT MANAGER IN THE U.S., THAT ON 9 SEPTEMBER 2002 ITS INTEREST
IN THE USD0.25 ORDINARY SHARES OF ASTRAZENECA PLC HAD INCREASED TO 217,059,087
SHARES (12.57 PER CENT OF THE ISSUED ORDINARY CAPITAL) FROM THE PREVIOUSLY
NOTIFIED LEVEL OF 209,024,956 SHARES (12.02 PER CENT).  THE REASON FOR THIS
ANNOUNCMENT IS THAT, WITHIN THE SAID HOLDING OF 12.57 PER CENT OF THE ISSUED
ORDINARY CAPITAL OF ASTRAZENECA PLC, CAPITAL GUARDIAN TRUST COMPANY, AN
AFFILIATE OF THE CAPITAL GROUP COMPANIES, INC., HAS INCREASED ITS INTEREST IN
THESE SHARES TO 86,335,495 SHARES (5.00 PER CENT) FROM 80,546,936 SHARES (4.63
PER CENT).


G H R MUSKER
COMPANY SECRETARY
11 SEPTEMBER 2002


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