Report from Astra's 1999 Annual General Meeting

REPORT FROM ASTRA'S 1999 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Since it was announced earlier today that the merger between Astra and Zeneca has been completed and the new company AstraZeneca PLC has been formed, this was Astra AB's final annual general meeting as a listed company. Astra's Annual General Meeting held on April 6 was attended by 1,277 stockholders, representing 41.7 percent of the total number of shares and 43.2 percent of the total number of voting rights. The Board's dividend proposal was approved by the Meeting. All Astra shareholders who have validly accepted the Merger Offers by the end of the initial acceptance period and who remain holders of AstraZeneca shares on the record date, April 9, 1999, will receive their AstraZeneca dividend equivalent to SEK 1.90 for each Astra share tendered under the Merger Offers. AstraZeneca shares held through the Swedish Securities Register Center (VPC) on April 9, 1999, are eligible for a dividend of SEK 3.77, being SEK 1.90 per Astra share, adjusted to reflect the exchange ratio of 0.5045 AstraZeneca shares for each Astra share. As announced in January 1999, the Board of AstraZeneca will be made up as follows: Percy Barnevik - Non-Executive Chairman Sir David Barnes - Executive Deputy Chairman Håkan Mogren - Executive Deputy Chairman Tom McKillop - Chief Executive Jonathan Symonds - Executive Director, Chief Financial Officer Åke Stavling - Executive Director, Business Development & Integration Claes Wilhelmsson - Executive Director, R&D Michael Pragnell - Executive Director, AgroChemicals Dame Bridget Ogilvie - Non-Executive Director Sir Peter Bonfield - Non-Executive Director Karl von der Heiden - Non-Executive Director Erna Möller - Non-Executive Director Lars Ramqvist - Non-Executive Director Marcus Wallenberg - Non-Executive Director Astra AB is now a subsidiary in the AstraZeneca Group. The following composition of the company's board was decided: Tom McKillop, Jonathan Symonds, Åke Stavling, Claes Wilhelmsson, Göran Lerenius and Marcus Wallenberg At the statutory meeting of the Board, Tom McKillop, Chief Executive of AstraZeneca, was elected as Chairman. Göran Lerenius, General Counsel, AstraZeneca pharmaceuticals, was appointed to hold the position of President of Astra AB until further notice. 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/1999/04/06/19990406BIT00620/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/04/06/19990406BIT00620/bit0002.pdf