Purchase of Own Securities

AstraZeneca PLC
12 August 2002

                    REPURCHASE OF SHARES IN ASTRAZENECA PLC

AstraZeneca PLC announces that on 9 August 2002, it purchased for cancellation
100,000 ordinary shares of AstraZeneca PLC at a price of 2337 pence per share.
Upon the cancellation of these shares, the number of shares in issue will be
1,728,965,996.

G H R Musker

Company Secretary

12 August 2002




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