FTC approve AstraZeneca merger

FTC APPROVE ASTRAZENECA MERGER Astra AB and Zeneca Group PLC announce acceptance by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of the Consent Order in connection with the proposed merger of the two companies. Acceptance of the Consent Order by the FTC, which will now be made available for public comment, enables the AstraZeneca merger to be implemented from a US anti-trust perspective. Under the terms of the Consent Order Zeneca will return to Chiroscience Group PLC the worldwide licence (which had excluded Japan) to the local anaesthetic Chirocaine and on a transitional basis will continue to support the development of Chirocaine which is yet to be marketed. The FTC's acceptance fulfils the only remaining regulatory consent required to effect the proposed merger, following the previously announced European Union approval. Zeneca and Astra will make a separate announcement detailing the closing timetable as a result of the fulfilment of the regulatory conditions to the merger. Contact persons: Staffan Ternby, Vice President, PR & Information, Astra AB, +46 8 553 261 07 Mikael Widell, Press Officer, PR & Information, Astra AB, +46 8 553 264 28 Michael Olsson, Manager, Investor Relations, Astra AB, +46 8 553 259 52 Jörgen Winroth, Investor Relations U.S., Astra AB, +1 609 896 4148 ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/03/25/19990325BIT00250/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/03/25/19990325BIT00250/bit0002.pdf