Transaction in Own Shares

AstraZeneca PLC
20 September 2004



                       REPURCHASE OF SHARES IN ASTRAZENECA PLC


AstraZeneca PLC announced that on 17 September 2004, it purchased for
cancellation 500,000 ordinary shares of AstraZeneca PLC at a price of 2341 pence
per share. Upon the cancellation of these shares, the number of shares in issue
will be 1,664,040,800.


G H R Musker
Company Secretary
20 September 2004


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