Zeneca Ag Products announced today that it received U.S. regulatory approval to sell Touchdown(R) 5 herbicide for use over glyphosate-tolerant soybeans, currently sold as Roundup Ready(R) soybeans.

The registration, granted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on June 8, comes in time
for significant use of Touchdown 5 over glyphosate-tolerant soybeans in 1999.

"With an estimated 30 million acres of glyphosate-tolerant soybeans varieties in the U.S. alone,
this approval opens a huge, new market for Touchdown,'' said Bob Woods, president of Zeneca
Ag Products. Touchdown has been registered for other uses since 1991.

Zeneca reached a long-term agreement in March, 1999, with Monsanto Company, giving Zeneca
a license to test, register and sell Touchdown 5 for use over Roundup Ready soybeans, corn and
cotton in the U.S.

Based in the United Kingdom, AstraZeneca PLC is a major $15.8 billion international bioscience business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of ethical (prescription) pharmaceuticals and agricultural products, and the supply of healthcare services.

Zeneca Ag Products is a business unit of Zeneca Inc. in the United States, and Zeneca Agrochemical is a business unit of Zeneca Corp. in Canada. Both companies are wholly owned
subsidiaries of AstraZeneca PLC. Zeneca Ag Products and Zeneca Agrochemical together form a
$1 billion North American agrochemical business with approximately 1,700 employees.

Touchdown(R) 5 is a registered trademark of a Zeneca group Company.
Roundup Ready(R) is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company.

Company news release
N1866