NEW £31 MILLION PLANT OPENING UNDERLINES SUCCESS OF ANTI-CANCER DRUG, "ZOLADEX"

This new facility is to provide further manufacturing capacity to meet the growing demand for 'Zoladex' an important treatment for prostate and breast cancer and some benign gynaecological conditions.

Since the first plant in Macclesfield for the manufacture of 'Zoladex' was opened in 1986, growth in the product has required additional investments totalling more than £100 million. 'Zoladex' is AstraZeneca's largest selling anti-cancer treatment, achieving £377 million sales during 1998 - a 14 per cent increase over the previous year.

'Zoladex' is formulated as one month^* and three month^** 'depots' - cylindrical pellets containing the active anti-cancer agent within a biodegradeable polymer - for injection sub-cutaneously. The manufacturing process is complex, technically demanding and takes place under sterile conditions. As in other 'Zoladex' plants, high technology equipment is used to achieve the highest standards and specifications for this treatment.

During the opening ceremony, Sir David Barnes said: "AstraZeneca has a continuing programme of investment in the manufacture of innovative treatments such as 'Zoladex'. These new facilities employ sophisticated technology to supply this important anti-cancer medicine for use worldwide. I am pleased to see this new capacity for future growth - it underlines the outstanding medical and commercial success of 'Zoladex' as a leading anti-cancer medicine".

Against a demanding timescale, project, design and construction management has been carried out by AstraZeneca's Engineering Group. The plant is now operational, having taken only two years from initial design until completion.

'Zoladex' is a luteinising hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) analogue, which acts by suppressing the sex hormones, testosterone in men and oestrogen in women, which often stimulate the growth of prostate and breast cancers, respectively. This treatment, launched in the UK in 1987, is now the second largest selling LHRH analogue worldwide. The three month^**, long acting depot formulation which was introduced in 1995, was the first treatment of its kind to be available in this form.

Note to News Editors:

AstraZeneca is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies with a strong research base and a powerful range of products designed to fight disease in seven key therapeutic areas: cancer, cardiovascular, central nervous system, gastrointestinal, infection, pain control and respiratory. In addition to some of the world's leading pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca's current portfolio includes 12 recently introduced products with a similar number expected to be launched by the end of 2001. Innovation is the key to AstraZeneca's success and the company invests over $2 billion each year in research and development to ensure a flow of effective new products which meet patient needs. The company currently has some 55 new chemical entities in the pipeline. AstraZeneca was formed in April 1999 through the merger of Astra AB of Sweden and Zeneca Group PLC of the UK. The new company is headquartered in the UK with over 50,000 employees worldwide. R & D centres of excellence are in Sweden, UK and US with the R &D headquarters in Stockholm.

*One month depot is administered every four weeks

**Three month depot is administered every twelve weeks