Transaction in Own Shares

AstraZeneca PLC
15 March 2004

                    REPURCHASE OF SHARES IN ASTRAZENECA PLC

AstraZeneca PLC announced that on 12 March 2004, it purchased for cancellation
300,000 ordinary shares of AstraZeneca PLC at a price of 2666 pence per share.
Upon the cancellation of these shares, the number of shares in issue will be
1,682,817,030.

G H R Musker
Company Secretary
15 March 2004


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange