Drug Approval

ASTRAZENECA PLC
20 September 1999


'ACCOLATE'  APPROVED BY FDA FOR CHILDREN WITH ASTHMA SEVEN YEARS OF
                            AGE AND OLDER

A new paediatric formulation of the popular asthma medication,
'Accolate' , has received approval from the U.S.  Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) for use in patients as young as seven years of
age.  The product will be available in a 10-milligram, non-flavoured
mini-tablet specifically designed for children.  Recommended dosing
is one 10-mg mini-tablet twice daily, even during symptom free
periods.

Since 1996, 'Accolate' has helped control symptoms for asthma
sufferers 12 years of age and older.  In the U.S., 'Accolate', has
been prescribed more than 5 million times for the preventive and
chronic treatment of asthma.   'Accolate' is now approved in 60
countries worldwide.

Asthma in children is becoming more and more prevalent and asthma is
the most common chronic medical problem affecting young adults.  An
estimated 17 million Americans suffer from asthma, including more
than five million children under the age of 18.
                                                                     
Since 1980, asthma in children under the age of five has jumped 160
percent.  Asthma is the leading cause of school absence due to
chronic illness and children with asthma miss 10 million school days
each year.  These children miss an average of twice as many school
days as other children.  Asthma can be triggered by numerous factors,
including pollution, cigarette smoke, house dust mites, cats,
cockroaches, and moulds.  Although no cure exists for asthma, it can
be effectively controlled.


Further enquiries to:

Elizabeth Sutton, tel [phone]
Michael Olsson, tel [phone]
Staffan Ternby, tel [phone]
Ed Seage, tel [phone]
Jorgen Winroth, tel [phone]