Capital Group

AstraZeneca PLC
27 August 2003



COMPANIES ACT 1985 SECTION 198

DISCLOSURE OF INTEREST IN VOTING SHARES IN PUBLIC COMPANIES



ON 26 AUGUST 2003 WE WERE INFORMED BY THE CAPITAL GROUP COMPANIES, INC., A
REGISTERED INVESTMENT MANAGER IN THE U.S., THAT ON 21 AUGUST 2003 ITS INTEREST
IN THE USD0.25 ORDINARY SHARES OF ASTRAZENECA PLC HAD INCREASED TO 240,060,302
SHARES (14.03 PER CENT OF THE CURRENT ISSUED ORDINARY CAPITAL) FROM THE
PREVIOUSLY NOTIFIED LEVEL OF 222,868,165 SHARES (13.00 PER CENT).





G H R MUSKER

COMPANY SECRETARY

27 AUGUST 2003


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