AstraZeneca - Disclosure of interest in voting shares

COMPANIES ACT 1985 SECTION 198 DISCLOSURE OF INTEREST IN VOTING SHARES IN PUBLIC COMPANIES ON 16 MARCH 2000 WE WERE INFORMED BY THE CAPITAL GROUP COMPANIES, INC., A REGISTERED INVESTMENT MANAGER IN THE U.S., THAT ON 13 MARCH 2000 ITS INTEREST IN THE USD0.25 ORDINARY SHARES OF ASTRAZENECA PLC HAD INCREASED FROM THE PREVIOUSLY NOTIFIED LEVEL OF 138,837,853 SHARES (7.82 PER CENT OF THE ISSUED ORDINARY CAPITAL) TO 142,466,003 SHARES (8.05 PER CENT). CAPITAL GUARDIAN TRUST COMPANY, AN AFFILIATE OF THE CAPITAL GROUP COMPANIES, INC., HAS AN INTEREST IN THESE SHARES OF 54,120,609 SHARES (3.06 PER CENT), PREVIOUSLY 52,450,909 SHARES (2.95 PER CENT) G H R MUSKER COMPANY SECRETARY 17 MARCH 2000 ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/03/17/20000317BIT00950/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/03/17/20000317BIT00950/bit0002.pdf