AstraZeneca Merger Closing Timetable and Revised Dividend Payment Dates.

WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 25, 1999--ZENECA GROUP PLC and ASTRA AB announce that, as a result of the US anti-trust approval announced earlier today, they are able to provide further details of certain aspects of the closing timetable for the proposed merger.

The US anti-trust approval fulfils the only remaining regulatory consent required to effect the proposed merger.

CLOSING TIMETABLE

As announced on 16 March 1999, the initial acceptance period for the Merger Offers made by Zeneca for all the issued share capital of Astra AB will close on Tuesday 30th March 1999 at 3.00 p.m. (Stockholm time) (9.00am New York time). An announcement as to the level of acceptances of the Merger Offers will be made on or shortly after Tuesday 6 April 1999.

If an announcement declaring the Merger Offers wholly unconditional can be made by 7.30 am (UK time) on 6 April 1999, it is anticipated that the following arrangements in the respective Stock Exchanges will apply:

-- London Stock Exchange listing will be granted and dealings will

commence in the new AstraZeneca shares at 9.00 am (UK time) on 6

April 1999.

Subject to the new AstraZeneca shares being listed at 7.30 am on

6 April 1999, it is anticipated that AstraZeneca will replace

Zeneca in the FTSE 100 and All-Share indices from 9.00 am (UK

time) on 6 April 1999. Full details will be the subject of a

separate announcement by the FTSE Equity Indices Committee and

FT/S&P World Index Policy Committee.

-- Stockholm Stock Exchange listing will be granted and dealings

will commence in the new AstraZeneca shares at 10.00 am

(Stockholm time) on 6 April 1999.

Subject to the new AstraZeneca shares being listed on 6 April

1999, AstraZeneca will replace Astra in the Aff,rsv,rldens

Generalindex, the SX General, the SX 16, SX Chemicals and

Pharmaceuticals, the OMX and the OMSX indices from 10.00 am

(Stockholm time) on 7 April 1999. New York Stock Exchange 

dealings in the new AstraZeneca Depository shares will commence

at 9.30 am (New York time) on 6 April 1999. The symbol for

AstraZeneca will be 'AZN' on all three exchanges.

DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

To ensure equal treatment of shareholders in Zeneca and Astra, the Boards of Zeneca and Astra have agreed to establish a common payment date for dividends in Astra and Zeneca (or AstraZeneca, assuming the merger is declared wholly unconditional before 9 April 1999) of Wednesday 21 April 1999.

This date replaces the previously announced Zeneca dividend payment date of 26 April 1999 and the anticipated Astra dividend despatch date by VPC AB of 16 April 1999.

If the Merger Offers are declared wholly unconditional before 9 April 1999, holders of AstraZeneca American Depository Shares (including holders of Astra American Depository Shares who have accepted the US offer) will receive the AstraZeneca dividend through Morgan Guaranty on or about 28 April 1999. The common record date for dividends in both Zeneca and Astra will remain as 9 April 1999.