SAR - AstraZeneca plc

RNS Number:6106U
Capital Group Companies Inc
23 January 2004

                                                                      FORM SAR 3

Lodge with Company Announcements Office and Newstrack, if appropriate, and the
Takeover Panel. A copy must also be sent to the company the shares of which are
acquired.

                                            Date of disclosure - 23 January 2004

   DISCLOSURE UNDER RULE 3 OF THE RULES GOVERNING SUBSTANTIAL ACQUISITIONS OF
                                SHARES ("SARs")



Date of acquisition           22 January 2004
                                                     

Acquisition in                AstraZeneca plc
                                                          


(1)  Class of voting shares             Number of shares/rights over shares     If rights over shares acquired, as
        (e.g. ordinary shares)          acquired                                opposed to the shares themselves,
                                                                                specify nature of rights
                               
        Ordinary Shares                      101,000 shares                                N/A
                                                   0 rights


(2)  Resultant total holding of voting  Resultant total holding of rights over  Total percentage
shares (and % of total voting shares in shares (and % of total voting shares in
issue)                                  issue)

        254,143,676 (15.01%)                            0 (0.00%)                         15.01%
                                                        

3)    Party making disclosure              The Capital Group Companies, Inc.



(4)  (a)   Name of person acquiring shares or rights over
           shares and, if different, beneficial owner:       The Capital Group Companies, Inc.



      (b)  Names of any other persons acting by
           agreement or understanding (see SAR 5)        N/A
                                                           



Signed, for and on behalf of the party named in (3) above
_________________________________



(Also print name of signatory)                   Liliane Corzo
                                                 



Telephone and extension number           Contact Greg Dickinson [phone]

                     ______________________________________

Note.  Under SAR 5, the holdings of and acquisitions by persons acting by
agreement or understanding must be aggregated and treated as a holding of or
acquisition by one person. Note 3 on SAR 5 requires persons who must aggregate
holdings to disclose certain disposals.

For full details of the SARs disclosure requirements, see Rules 3 and 5 of the
SARs. If in doubt, contact the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers, Monitoring
Section, Tel. No: 020 7638 0129.






                      This information is provided by RNS
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