Capital Group

AstraZeneca PLC
10 January 2003



COMPANIES ACT 1985 SECTION 198

DISCLOSURE OF INTEREST IN VOTING SHARES IN PUBLIC COMPANIES

ON 9 JANUARY 2003 WE WERE INFORMED BY THE CAPITAL GROUP COMPANIES, INC., A
REGISTERED INVESTMENT MANAGER IN THE U.S., THAT ON 7 JANUARY 2003 ITS INTEREST
IN THE USD0.25 ORDINARY SHARES OF ASTRAZENECA PLC HAD DECREASED TO 208,550,628
SHARES (12.13 PER CENT OF THE ISSUED ORDINARY CAPITAL) FROM THE PREVIOUSLY
NOTIFIED LEVEL OF 214,373,635 SHARES (12.42 PER CENT).  THE REASON FOR THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT IS THAT, WITHIN THE SAID HOLDING OF 12.13 PER CENT OF THE ISSUED
ORDINARY CAPITAL OF ASTRAZENECA PLC, CAPITAL GUARDIAN TRUST COMPANY, AN
AFFILIATE OF THE CAPITAL GROUP COMPANIES, INC., HAS DECREASED ITS INTEREST IN
THESE SHARES TO 85,393,793 SHARES (4.97 PER CENT) FROM 86,567,127 SHARES (5.02
PER CENT).


G H R MUSKER

COMPANY SECRETARY

10 JANUARY 2003

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