Director Shareholding

AstraZeneca PLC
21 September 2000


DEALING BY DIRECTORS
COMPANIES ACT 1985 SECTIONS 324/329

WE HEREBY INFORM YOU THAT ON 20 SEPTEMBER 2000 MR MICHAEL
PRAGNELL, A DIRECTOR OF THE COMPANY, EXERCISED AN OPTION
OVER ASTRAZENECA PLC USD0.25 ORDINARY SHARES UNDER THE
COMPANY'S 1994 EXECUTIVE SHARE OPTION SCHEME.  THE
DETAILS OF THE EXERCISE ARE AS FOLLOWS:-


           NUMBER OF                      
           SHARES     EXERCIS             TOTAL NUMBER
NAME OF    OVER       E PRICE PERIOD      OF SHARES NOW
DIRECTOR   WHICH      PER     WHEN        UNDER OPTION
           OPTION     SHARE   EXERCISABL
           EXERCISED          E
                                          
M P        20,000     885p    6.4.98-     96,089
PRAGNELL                      5.4.05


SUBSEQUENT TO THE ACQUISITION OF 20,000 SHARES FOLLOWING
THIS EXERCISE, WE ALSO INFORM YOU THAT ON 20 SEPTEMBER,
MR MICHAEL PRAGNELL SOLD ASTRAZENECA PLC USD0.25 ORDINARY
SHARES AS FOLLOWS:-

                              TOTAL       
NAME OF    NUMBER OF  PRICE   NUMBER OF   PERCENTAGE
DIRECTOR   SHARES     PER     SHARES NOW  OF ISSUED
           SOLD       SHARE   HELD        SHARES
                                          
M P        15,000     3294p   16,216      0.0009
PRAGNELL


THE OVERALL EFFECT OF THESE TRANSACTIONS IS THAT MR
MICHAEL PRAGNELL HAS INCREASED HIS SHAREHOLDING IN THE
ORDINARY SHARES OF ASTRAZENECA PLC BY 5,000 SHARES.

IN RESPECT OF THE PROPOSED DISTRIBUTION BY ASTRAZENECA TO
ITS SHAREHOLDERS OF SHARES IN SYNGENTA BY WAY OF A
DIVIDEND IN KIND, THE ADDITIONAL ASTRAZENECA SHARES
ACQUIRED BY MR PRAGNELL WOULD, IF STILL HELD AT THE
RELEVANT RECORD DATE, RESULT IN APPROXIMATELY 125
ADDITIONAL SHARES IN SYNGENTA BEING RECEIVED BY MR
PRAGNELL.


G H R MUSKER
COMPANY SECRETARY
21 SEPTEMBER 2000