CRESTOR

AstraZeneca PLC
13 March 2006



                      CRESTOR(TM) shows regression of

             coronary artery disease in a major clinical study


The landmark ASTEROID study has demonstrated that two years treatment with
CRESTOR(TM) (rosuvastatin), 40mg once a day, reversed plaque build-up in the
arteries of patients with evidence of coronary artery disease.  This is the
first time a statin has demonstrated regression of atherosclerosis in a major
clinical study.  The results of ASTEROID will be presented by Dr Steve Nissen
(Chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic)
at the 55th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology
(ACC) in Atlanta  at 2:20pm EST today. . Further details of the ASTEROID results
will be made available following Dr Nissen's presentation at the ACC.


Atherosclerosis results when a build-up of cholesterol, inflammatory cells and
fibrous tissue forms areas in the artery wall called plaques.  If these plaques
rupture they can block blood flow to critical organs like the heart or the
brain, and can lead to heart attack or stroke.


ASTEROID (A Study To Evaluate the Effect of Rosuvastatin On Intravascular
Ultrasound-Derived Coronary Atheroma Burden) was a 104-week, open label,
single-arm, blinded endpoint study designed to study the effect of CRESTOR 40mg
in 507 patients who had undergone coronary angiography and who had evidence of
coronary artery disease (CAD).  The plaque volume in the target coronary artery
was measured at the initial catheterisation and again after two years of
treatment.  ASTEROID used intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging to measure the
effect on the change in plaque volume compared to baseline in the target vessel.


CRESTOR is indicated for the treatment of lipid disorders.  CRESTOR is not
indicated for atherosclerosis.  The 40mg dose is the highest registered dose of
CRESTOR.  CRESTOR should be used according to the prescribing information, which
contains recommendations for initiating and titrating therapy according to the
individual patient profile.  In most countries the usual recommended starting
dose of CRESTOR is 5 or 10mg.


With over 40 million prescriptions written, CRESTOR has been prescribed to more
than six million patients and has a safety profile in line with that of other
marketed statins.


Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) is an invasive method of imaging arteries using
high frequency sound waves that are transmitted and received inside the vessel
being examined.  It enables measurement of the volume of atheroma within the
wall of the arteries by combining a series of cross-sectional images of the
vessel over a predefined length. IVUS is acknowledged as being among the most
rigorously quantitative methodologies for assessing atheroma burden.


ASTEROID is part of AstraZeneca's GALAXY Programme, designed to address
important unanswered questions in statin research and to investigate the impact
of CRESTOR on cardiovascular risk reduction and patient outcomes.  The GALAXY
Program has recruited over 50,000 subjects in more than 50 countries.


                                     -Ends-

13 March 2006



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