Purchase of Own Securities

AstraZeneca PLC
18 September 2003

                    REPURCHASE OF SHARES IN ASTRAZENECA PLC





AstraZeneca PLC announced that on 17 September 2003, it purchased for
cancellation 400,000 ordinary shares of AstraZeneca PLC at a price of 2645 pence
per share. Upon the cancellation of these shares, the number of shares in issue
will be 1,707,635,808.







G H R Musker
Company Secretary
18 September 2003


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