Dear Shareholder

This letter is sent on behalf of the board of Directors (the Board) of AstraZeneca PLC (the Company) and is to be read in conjunction with various documents concerning your shareholding in the Company. These documents are:

The meeting place for the AGM will be the Lancaster London Hotel, Lancaster Terrace, London W2 2TY and the AGM will commence at 2.30pm (BST).

The business to be conducted at the AGM is summarised below.

Items 1–4: Accounts, Dividend, Re-appointment of Auditor and Authority to agree the remuneration of the Auditor

The purpose of these resolutions is:

Item 5: Re-election of Directors

At the AGM, as usual and in accordance with the Company’s Articles of Association, all of the Directors are retiring. The biographical details of each Director presenting himself or herself for re-election are set out in the Notice of AGM and Shareholders’ Circular.

During 2015, the Board considered the independence of the current Non-Executive Directors under the UK Corporate Governance Code (the Code). As Chairman, I met the independence criteria prescribed in the Code upon my appointment. Under the Code, it is not considered appropriate to repeat this test after my appointment.

The Board concluded that, with the exception of Marcus Wallenberg, all the Non-Executive Directors presenting themselves for re-election are independent in character and judgement and there are no relationships or circumstances likely to affect their character or judgement. During 2015, the Board also completed the annual evaluation of its performance and that of its Committees and individual Directors. The Board concluded that each Director continues to make effective and valuable contributions to the Board and to demonstrate commitment to the role. More information about these matters and how the Board operates can be found in the Corporate Governance Report in the Annual Report, which is available on our website, www.astrazeneca.com, or by request from the Company.

Item 6: Directors’ Remuneration Report

The purpose of Resolution 6 is to receive and approve the annual statement of the Chairman of the Remuneration Committee (the Statement) and the Annual Report on Remuneration for the year ended 31 December 2015.

The Statement and the Annual Report on Remuneration can be found on pages 103 to 121 of the Annual Report, which is available on our website, www.astrazeneca.com, or by request from the Company.

The Board considers that appropriate executive remuneration plays a vital part in helping to achieve the Company’s overall objectives and, accordingly, and in compliance with the legislation, shareholders will be invited to approve the Statement and the Annual Report on Remuneration. The Annual Report on Remuneration gives details of the remuneration paid to the Directors during the year ended 31 December 2015.

The vote on the Statement and the Annual Report on Remuneration is advisory in nature in that payments made or promised to Directors will not have to be repaid, reduced or withheld in the event that Resolution 6 is not passed.

The Company’s Remuneration Policy was approved by ordinary resolution by shareholders at the Company’s AGM in April 2014. It is intended that the policy shall remain in effect for a period of three years from 1 January 2015.

Item 7: Political donations

The purpose of Resolution 7, which is proposed as an ordinary resolution, is to authorise the Company and/or its subsidiaries to make limited political donations or incur limited political expenditure, within the meaning of such expressions as contained in the Companies Act 2006 (the Act), within the European Union. The purpose of this resolution is not to alter the Company’s policy of not making such political donations or incurring such political expenditure. However, given the breadth of the relevant sections in the Act, it may be that some of the Company’s activities could fall within the potentially wide definitions of political donations and political expenditure under the Act and, without the necessary authorisation, the Company’s ability to communicate its views effectively to, for example, interest groups or lobbying organisations could be inhibited.

Accordingly, the Company believes that the authority contained in this resolution is necessary to allow it and its subsidiaries to fund activities in relation to which it is in the interests of shareholders that the Company should support. Such authority will enable the Company and its subsidiaries to be sure that they do not, because of any uncertainty as to the bodies or the activities covered by the Act, unintentionally commit a technical breach of the relevant sections of the Act. Any donations or expenditure, which may be made or incurred under the authority of Resolution 7, will be disclosed in next year’s Annual Report and Form 20-F Information.

Item 8: Allotment of new shares

The purpose of Resolution 8, which is proposed as an ordinary resolution, is to enable the Directors to exercise their power under the Company’s Articles of Association to allot new shares in the capital of the Company. The Directors may only allot shares or grant rights to subscribe for shares, or convert any security into shares, if authorised to do so by shareholders.

As specified in the resolution, the Directors’ authority will only be valid until the conclusion of the AGM in 2017 or the close of business on 29 July 2017, whichever is earlier. Other than the allotment of shares for the purposes of fulfilling the Company’s obligations under certain of its share plans, the Directors have no present intention

to exercise this authority. However, it is considered prudent to acquire the flexibility

that this authority provides. The Company’s Directors intend to seek renewal of this authority annually.

Paragraph (a)(i)(A) of Resolution 8 will, if passed, authorise the Directors to allot shares or grant rights to subscribe for, or to convert any security into, such shares in the Company up to a maximum nominal amount of US$105,342,226. This amount represents 33.33% of the total ordinary share capital of the Company in issue at 29 February 2016 (being the last practicable date prior to publication of this Notice of AGM). Paragraph (a)(i)(B) of Resolution 8 authorises the Directors to allot, including the shares referred to in paragraph (a)(i)(A), further of the Company’s unissued shares up to an aggregate nominal amount of US$210,684,452 in connection with a pre-emptive offer to existing shareholders by way of a rights issue (with exclusions to deal with fractional entitlements to shares and overseas shareholders to whom the rights issue cannot be made due to legal and practical problems). This amount represents 66.66% of the total ordinary share capital of the Company in issue at 29 February 2016.

At 29 February 2016, no shares in the Company were held as treasury shares.

For information, during 2015, the Directors used equivalent authorities, given to them by shareholders at previous AGMs, for the purposes of fulfilling the Company’s obligations under its various share plans.

The number of new shares allotted during 2015, the percentage of the Company’s share capital they represented at 31 December 2015 and the share plans in respect of which they were allotted are shown in the table below.

Share allotments during 2015

No other new shares in the Company were allotted during 2015.

Item 9: Pre-emption rights

The purpose of Resolution 9, which is proposed as a special resolution, is to grant authority to the Directors (subject to the passing of Resolution 8) to allot shares of the Company and to sell treasury shares for cash as if the pre-emption provisions of section 561 of the Act do not apply. Under section 561(1) of the Act, if the Directors wish to allot shares, or grant rights to subscribe for, or convert securities into shares, or sell treasury shares for cash (other than pursuant to an employee share scheme), they must first be offered to existing shareholders pro rata to their holdings.

This provision is designed to prevent the holdings of existing shareholders being diluted against their wishes by the allotment of new shares. There may be occasions however, when the Directors need the flexibility to finance business opportunities by the issue of shares without a pre-emptive offer to existing shareholders. This cannot be done under the Act unless shareholders have first waived their pre-emption rights. Resolution 9 asks shareholders to do this and, apart from rights issues or any other pre-emptive offer concerning equity securities, the authority contained in this resolution will be limited to the issue of shares for cash up to an aggregate nominal value of US$15,802,914 (which includes the sale on a non pre-emptive basis of any shares held in treasury), which represents no more than 5% of the total ordinary share capital of the Company in issue at 29 February 2016 (being the last practicable date prior to publication of this Notice of AGM). In accordance with the Pre-Emption Group’s Statement of Principles, the Board confirms its intention that no more than 7.5% of the issued share capital (excluding treasury shares) will be issued for cash on a non pre-emptive basis during any rolling three-year period. This authority will expire at the conclusion of the AGM in 2017 or the close of business on 29 July 2017, whichever is earlier.

The Directors have no present intention of exercising this authority but are requesting this authority in order to give them the flexibility to use shares, if so required, in connection with the proper development of the business.

Item 10: Purchase of own shares by the Company

The purpose of Resolution 10, which is proposed as a special resolution, is to renew the authority granted at last year’s AGM which expires on the date of the forthcoming AGM. The resolution authorises the Company to make market purchases of its own shares as permitted by the Act. The authority limits the total number of shares that could be purchased to a maximum of 126,423,313 (representing less than 10% of the issued share capital of the Company at 29 February 2016) and sets minimum and maximum prices.

No shares were repurchased during 2015 and the Board has no intention of repurchasing shares in 2016. The authority sought under Resolution 10 will be exercised only if the Directors believe that to do so would result in an increase in earnings per share and would be likely to promote the success of the Company for the benefit of shareholders generally. The Directors’ current intention is that, in such circumstances, any shares so repurchased would be cancelled.

The authority being sought under Resolution 10 would permit any shares so purchased either to be cancelled or held as treasury shares. In order to maximise its opportunities for access to the market, the Company may also consider using the same authority from shareholders to give irrevocable instructions to banks to enable any share repurchases to continue during the close periods ahead of the quarterly publication of its results. If this were done, appropriate and timely announcements to the stock exchanges would be made.

At 29 February 2016, the total number of shares under option that were outstanding under all of the Company’s share option plans was 3,644,761 representing 0.29% of the Company’s issued share capital at that date. This number of outstanding shares under option could potentially represent 0.36% of the issued capital of the Company, if the Company were to purchase its own shares to the fullest possible extent of its authority from shareholders (both existing and being sought).

This authority will only be valid until the conclusion of the AGM in 2017 or the close of business on 29 July 2017, whichever is earlier.

Item 11: Notice period for general meetings

The purpose of Resolution 11, which is proposed as a special resolution, is to reduce the notice period required for a general meeting of the Company (other than an AGM) to 14 clear days. Changes made to the Act by the Companies (Shareholders’ Rights) Regulations 2009 (the Shareholders’ Rights Regulations) increase the notice period required for general meetings of the Company to 21 days unless shareholders approve a shorter notice period, which cannot however be less than 14 clear days. AGMs will continue to be held on at least 21 clear days’ notice.

Before the coming into force of the Shareholders’ Rights Regulations on 3 August 2009, the Company was able to call general meetings (other than an AGM or a general meeting for the passing of a special resolution or a resolution appointing a person as a Director) on 14 clear days’ notice without obtaining such shareholder approval. In order to preserve this ability to call such general meetings on 14 clear days’ notice (and to extend this ability to general meetings for the passing of a special resolution or a resolution appointing a Director), Resolution 11 seeks such approval. The flexibility offered by Resolution 11 will be used where, taking into account the circumstances, the Directors consider that it is merited by the business to be considered at the meeting and it is thought to be in the interests of shareholders as a whole. The Company undertakes to meet the requirements for electronic voting under the Shareholders’ Rights Regulations before calling a general meeting on 14 clear days’ notice. The approval will be effective until the Company’s next AGM, when it is intended that a similar resolution will be proposed.

The Directors consider all of the proposed resolutions to be in the best interests of the Company and shareholders as a whole. Accordingly, the Directors unanimously recommend that you vote in favour of all the resolutions.

All resolutions will be put to a poll vote. This means that the votes of all shareholders, including the majority of our shareholders who cannot attend the meeting but who submit a Proxy Form, are counted.

You are requested to complete and return your Proxy Form as soon as possible. If you are a registered holder you may, if you wish, register the appointment of your proxy electronically either via the internet or, if you hold your shares through CREST, using the CREST electronic proxy appointment service. Please refer to the notes in the Notice of AGM from page 9 for details. The appointment of a proxy will not prevent you from also attending the AGM and, if you are a registered holder, voting in person. All shareholders or proxies attending the AGM are asked to bring the Attendance Card with them. If you wish to appoint a corporate representative to attend the AGM, please refer to the notes in the Notice of AGM from page 9 for details.

Yours faithfully,

Leif Johansson

Chairman

18 March 2016

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of AstraZeneca PLC (the Company) will be held on Friday 29 April 2016 at 2.30pm (BST) at the Lancaster London Hotel, Lancaster Terrace, London W2 2TY. You will be asked to consider and pass the following resolutions. Resolutions 9 to 11 inclusive will be proposed as special resolutions. All other resolutions will be proposed as ordinary resolutions.

Ordinary resolutions

A separate vote will be taken in respect of the re-election of each Director. In accordance with Article 66 of the Company’s Articles of Association, all of the Directors will retire at the AGM in 2017 and may present themselves for re-election.

Leif Johansson (64)

Non-Executive Chairman of the Board

(April 2012*)

Committee membership Chairman of the Nomination and Governance Committee and member of the Remuneration Committee

Skills and experience From 1997 to 2011, Leif was Chief Executive Officer of AB Volvo. Prior to that, he served at AB Electrolux, latterly as Chief Executive Officer from 1994 to 1997. He was a Non-Executive Director of BMS from 1998 to September 2011, serving on the Board’s Audit Committee, and Compensation and Management Development Committee. He holds an MSc in engineering from Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg.

Other appointments Leif is Chairman of global telecommunications company, LM Ericsson. He holds board positions at Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA, Ecolean AB and Autoliv, Inc. He has been a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences since 1994, serving as Chairman since 2012. Leif is also a member of the European Round Table of Industrialists and Chairman of the International Advisory Board of the Nobel Foundation.

Pascal Soriot (56)

Executive Director and CEO

(October 2012)

Skills and experience Pascal brings significant experience in established and emerging markets, strength of strategic thinking, a successful track record of managing change and executing strategy, and the ability to lead a diverse organisation. He served as Chief Operating Officer of Roche’s pharmaceuticals division from 2010 to September 2012 and, prior to that, Chief Executive Officer of Genentech, a biologics business, where he led its successful merger with Roche. Pascal joined the pharmaceutical industry in 1986 and has worked in senior management roles in numerous major companies around the world. He is a doctor of veterinary medicine (École Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, Maisons-Alfort) and holds an MBA from HEC, Paris.

Marc Dunoyer (63)

Executive Director and CFO

(November 2013)

Skills and experience Marc’s career in pharmaceuticals, which has included periods with Roussel Uclaf, Hoechst Marion Roussel and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), has given him extensive industry experience, including finance and accounting; corporate strategy and planning; research and development; sales and marketing; business reorganisation; and business development. Marc is a qualified accountant and joined AstraZeneca in 2013, serving as Executive Vice-President, GPPS from June to October 2013. Prior to that, he served as Global Head of Rare Diseases at GSK and (concurrently) Chairman, GSK Japan. He holds an MBA from HEC, Paris and a Bachelor of Law degree from Paris University.

Dr Cornelia Bargmann (54)

Non-Executive Director

(April 2015)

Committee membership Member of the Science Committee

Skills and experience Cornelia (Cori) is the Torsten N. Wiesel Professor and head of the Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior at The Rockefeller University, New York. She has held this position since 2004. Cori holds a degree in biochemistry from the University of Georgia and a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She pursued a postdoctoral fellowship with H. Robert Horvitz at MIT until 1991, when she accepted a faculty position in the Department of Anatomy at the University of California, San Francisco, spending 13 years there, before moving to Rockefeller. She has been a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator since 1995. Cori was awarded the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Science in 2015.

Geneviève Berger (61)

Non-Executive Director

(April 2012)

Committee membership Member of the Science Committee and oversees sustainability matters on behalf of the Board

Skills and experience Geneviève was Chief Science Officer at Unilever PLC and a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive from 2008 to April 2014. She holds three doctorates – in physics, human biology and medicine – and was appointed Professor of Medicine at l’Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris in 2006. Her previous positions include Professor and Hospital Practitioner at l’Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière in Paris; Director of the Biotech and Agri-Food Department; Head of the Technology Directorate at the French Ministry of Research and Technology; Director General, at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; and Chairman of the Health Advisory Board of the EU Commission.

Other appointments In May 2015, Geneviève was appointed as a Director of Air Liquide S.A. for a term of four years. She is currently Chief Research Officer at Firmenich SA, Geneva, Switzerland.

Bruce Burlington (67)

Non-Executive Director

(August 2010)

Committee membership Chairman of the Science Committee and member of the Audit Committee and the Nomination and Governance Committee

Skills and experience Bruce is a pharmaceutical product development and regulatory affairs consultant and brings extensive experience in these areas. He spent 17 years with the FDA, serving as Director of its Center for Devices and Radiological Health, as well as holding various senior roles in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. After leaving the FDA, he held various senior executive positions at Wyeth (now part of Pfizer).

Other appointments Bruce is a Non-Executive Director of the International Partnership for Microbicides.

Ann Cairns (59)

Non-Executive Director

(April 2014)

Committee membership Member of the Audit Committee

Skills and experience Ann has more than 20 years’ in-depth financial and international business experience and currently serves as President, International Markets, for MasterCard. Before joining MasterCard in 2011, Ann oversaw the European liquidation of Lehman Brothers Holdings International and was the Chief Executive, Transaction Banking at ABN AMRO. At the start of her career, Ann was an award-winning research engineer, culminating as the head of Offshore Engineer – Planning for British Gas. She holds a BSc in pure mathematics from Sheffield University and an MSc with research into medical statistics from Newcastle University in the UK.

Graham Chipchase (53)

Non-Executive Director

(April 2012)

Committee membership Chairman of the Remuneration Committee and member of the Nomination and Governance Committee

Skills and experience Graham has served as Chief Executive Officer of global consumer packaging company, Rexam PLC since 2010 after serving at Rexam as Group Director, Plastic Packaging and Group Finance Director. Previously, he was Finance Director of Aerospace Services at the global engineering group GKN PLC from 2001 to 2003. After starting his career with Coopers & Lybrand Deloitte, he held various finance roles in the industrial gases company The BOC Group PLC (now part of The Linde Group). He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and holds an MA (Hons) in chemistry from Oriel College, Oxford.

Jean-Philippe Courtois (55)

Non-Executive Director

(February 2008)

Committee membership Member of the Audit Committee

Skills and experience Jean-Philippe has more than 30 years’ experience in the global technology industry. He is President of Microsoft International and previously served as Chief Executive Officer and President of Microsoft EMEA. Jean-Philippe has also served as Co-Chairman of the World Economic Forum’s Global Digital Divide Initiative Task Force and on the European Commission Information and Communication Technology Task Force. In 2009, he served as an EU Ambassador for the Year of Creativity and Innovation and, in 2011, was named one of ‘Tech’s Top 25’ by The Wall Street Journal Europe.

Other appointments Jean-Philippe is a board member of PlaNet Finance, a leading international microfinance organisation.

Rudy Markham (70)

Senior independent Non-Executive Director (April 2015. Member of the Board since

September 2008)

Committee membership Chairman of the Audit Committee and member of the Remuneration Committee and Nomination and Governance Committee

Skills and experience Rudy has significant international business and financial experience, having formerly held various senior commercial and financial positions with Unilever, culminating in his appointment as its Chief Financial Officer.

Other appointments Rudy is Chairman and a Non-Executive Director of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and a non-executive member of the Boards of United Parcel Services Inc. and Legal & General plc. He is also Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Corbion NV (formerly CSM NV), a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and a Fellow of the Association of Corporate Treasurers. He served as a Non-Executive Director of the UK Financial Reporting Council from 2007 to 2012.

Shriti Vadera (53)

Non-Executive Director

(January 2011)

Committee membership Member of the Audit Committee and the Remuneration Committee

Skills and experience Shriti has significant knowledge of global finance, emerging markets and public policy. She has advised governments, banks and investors on the eurozone crisis, the banking sector, debt restructuring and markets. She has served as a G20 Adviser and a Minister in the UK Cabinet Office and Business Department and International Development Department. She has also served on the Council of Economic Advisers, HM Treasury, where she focused on business and international economic issues. Prior to that, Shriti spent 14 years in investment banking with SG Warburg/UBS.

Other appointments Shriti is Chairman of Santander UK plc and Senior Independent Director of BHP Billiton.

Marcus Wallenberg (59)

Non-Executive Director

(April 1999)

Committee membership Member of the Science Committee

Skills and experience Marcus has international business experience across various industry sectors, including the pharmaceutical industry from his directorship with Astra prior to 1999.

Other appointments Marcus is Chairman of Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB, Saab AB and FAM AB. He is a member of the boards of Investor AB, Temasek Holdings Limited, and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.

Special resolutions

By order of the Board:

A C N Kemp

Company Secretary

AstraZeneca PLC

Registered in England No. 2723534 Registered Office: 2 Kingdom Street, London W2 6BD

18 March 2016

Notes

Security at the AGM

We take the safety of our shareholders and the security of the AGM very seriously. As usual, we will implement a range of security measures at the AGM, based on a thorough assessment of potential risks. We kindly request that everybody entering the AGM meeting room allows their bag or briefcase to be searched. If you are happy to allow a search, you will be welcome to take your bag or briefcase into the meeting room with you. Otherwise, we will politely require you to leave it in the cloakroom for the duration of the meeting.

Entitlement to attend and vote

Pursuant to Regulation 41 of the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001, only holders of ordinary shares entered in the register of members of the Company by 6.00pm (BST) on Wednesday 27 April 2016 (or their duly appointed proxies), or if this meeting is adjourned, in the register of members by 6.00pm (BST) two days prior to any adjourned meeting, are entitled to attend or vote at the AGM in respect of the number of ordinary shares registered in their name at that time. Changes to the entries in the register of members after 6.00pm (BST) on Wednesday 27 April 2016, or if this meeting is adjourned, in the register of members after 6.00pm (BST), two days prior to any adjourned meeting, shall be disregarded in determining the rights of any person to attend or vote at the AGM.

A registered member of the Company may appoint one or more proxies (who need not be a member of the Company) to exercise all or any of his rights to attend and to speak and vote at a meeting of the Company provided that each proxy is appointed to exercise the rights attached to a different share or shares held by him. A member may only appoint a proxy by:

You may not use any electronic address provided in this Notice of AGM to communicate with the Company for any purposes other than those expressly stated.

Deadline for receipt of Proxy Form

To be effective, the Proxy Form (or electronic appointment of a proxy) must be received by the Company’s registrar, Equiniti Registrars, not later than 2.30pm (BST) on 27 April 2016, or if this AGM is adjourned, not less than 48 hours before the time for holding such adjourned meeting. The appointment of a proxy will not prevent a shareholder from attending and voting in person at the meeting.

Appointment of proxies through Sharevote and Shareview websites

Shareholders who would prefer to register the appointment of their proxy electronically via the internet can do so through the Sharevote website, www.sharevote.co.uk, using their personal Authentication Reference Number (this is the series of numbers printed under the headings Voting ID, Task ID and Shareholder Reference Number on the Proxy Form). Alternatively, shareholders who have already registered with Equiniti Registrars’ online portfolio service, Shareview, can appoint their proxy electronically by logging on to their portfolio at www.shareview.co.uk and clicking on the link to vote. Full details and instructions on these electronic proxy facilities are given on the respective websites.

Appointment of proxies

through CREST

CREST members who wish to appoint a proxy or proxies for the AGM, including any adjournment(s) thereof, through the CREST electronic proxy appointment service may do so by using the procedures described in the CREST Manual on the Euroclear website, www.euroclear.com. CREST personal members or other CREST sponsored members, and those CREST members who have appointed a voting service provider(s), should refer to their CREST sponsor or voting service provider(s) who will be able to take the appropriate action on their behalf.

In order for a proxy appointment or instruction made using the CREST service to be valid, the appropriate CREST message (CREST Proxy Instruction) must be properly authenticated in accordance with Euroclear UK & Ireland Limited’s specifications and must contain the information required for such instructions, as described in the CREST Manual. The message, regardless of whether it relates to the appointment of a proxy or to an amendment to the instruction given for a previously appointed proxy, must, in order to be valid, be transmitted so as to be received by Equiniti Registrars (ID RA19) by the latest time for receipt of proxy appointments specified above. For this purpose, the time of receipt will be taken to be the time (as determined by the time stamp applied to the message by the CREST Applications Host) from which Equiniti Registrars is able to retrieve the message by enquiry to CREST in the manner prescribed by CREST. After this time, any change of instructions to a proxy appointed through CREST should be communicated to the proxy through other means.

CREST members and, where applicable, their CREST sponsors or voting service providers should note that Euroclear does not make available special procedures in CREST for any particular messages. Normal system timings and limitations will therefore apply in relation to the input of CREST Proxy Instructions. It is the responsibility of the CREST member concerned to take (or, if the CREST member is a CREST personal member or sponsored member or has appointed a voting service provider(s), to procure that his CREST sponsor or voting service provider(s) take(s)) such action as shall be necessary to ensure that a message is transmitted by means of the CREST system by any particular time. In this connection, CREST members and, where applicable, their CREST sponsors or voting service provider(s) are referred, in particular, to those sections of the CREST Manual concerning practical limitations of the CREST system and timings. The Company may treat a CREST Proxy Instruction as invalid in the circumstances set out in Regulation 35(5)(a) of the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001.

Appointment of corporate representatives

Any corporation which is a member can appoint one or more corporate representatives who may exercise on its behalf all of its powers as a member provided if two or more representatives purport to vote in respect of the same shares:

Nominated Persons

Any person to whom this Notice of AGM is sent who is a person nominated under section 146 of the Companies Act 2006 to enjoy information rights (Nominated Person) may have a right, under an agreement between him or her and the shareholder by whom he or she was nominated, to be appointed (or to have someone else appointed) as a proxy for the AGM. If a Nominated Person has no such proxy appointment right or does not wish to exercise it, he or she may, under any such agreement, have a right to give instructions to the shareholder as to the exercise of voting rights.

The statement of the rights of shareholders in relation to the appointment of proxies above does not apply to Nominated Persons. The rights described above can only be exercised by shareholders of the Company.

Members’ requests under section 527 of the Companies Act 2006

Under section 527 of the Companies Act 2006, members meeting the threshold requirements set out in that section have the right to require the Company to publish a statement on a website setting out any matter relating to: (i) the audit of the Company’s accounts (including the auditor’s report and the conduct of the audit) that are to be laid before the AGM; and/or (ii) any circumstance connected with an auditor of the Company ceasing to hold office since the last AGM. The Company may not require the shareholders requesting any such website publication to pay its expenses in complying with sections 527 or 528 of the Companies Act 2006. Where the Company is required to place a statement on a website under section 527 of the Companies Act 2006, it must forward the statement to the Company’s auditor not later than the time when it makes the statement available on the website. The business which may be dealt with at the AGM includes any statement that the Company has been required under section 527 of the Companies Act 2006 to publish on a website.

Members’ rights to ask questions

Any member attending the meeting has the right to ask questions. The Company must cause to be answered any such question relating to the business being dealt with at the meeting but no such answer need be given if: (i) to do so would interfere unduly with the preparation for the meeting or involve the disclosure of confidential information; (ii) the answer has already been given on a website in the form of an answer to a question; or (iii) it is undesirable in the interests of the Company or the good order of the meeting that the question be answered.

Members’ resolutions and matters under sections 338 and 338A of the Companies Act 2006

Under sections 338 and 338A of the Companies Act 2006, members meeting the threshold requirements in those sections have the right to require the Company: (i) to give, to members of the Company entitled to receive notice of the meeting, notice of a resolution to be moved at the meeting; and/ or (ii) to include in the business to be dealt with at the meeting any matter (other than a proposed resolution) which may be properly included in the business unless: (a) (in the case of a resolution only) it would, if passed, be ineffective; (b) it is defamatory of any person; or (c) it is frivolous or vexatious. Such a request may be in hard copy form or in electronic form, must identify the resolution of which notice is to be given or the matter to be included in the business, must be authorised by the person or persons making it, must be received by the Company not later than 18 March 2016, being the date six clear weeks before the meeting, and (in the case of a matter to be included in the business only) must be accompanied by a statement setting out the grounds for the request.

Total voting rights

At 29 February 2016 (being the last practicable date prior to the publication of this Notice of AGM), the Company’s issued share capital consisted of 1,264,233,136 ordinary shares, carrying one vote each. Therefore, the total voting rights of the Company at 29 February 2016 were 1,264,233,136.

Documents available for inspection

The following information may be inspected during business hours at the Company’s registered office and will on the day of the AGM be available for inspection at the Lancaster London Hotel, Lancaster Terrace, London W2 2TY from 2.15pm (BST) until the conclusion of the AGM: (1) a statement of the interests and transactions of Directors and their families in the share capital of the Company and any of its subsidiaries; (2) copies of all contracts of service and letters of appointment under which Directors of the Company are employed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries; (3) the Annual Report and Form 20-F Information 2015; and (4) a copy of the Company’s Articles of Association.

Voting results

The results of the voting at the AGM will be announced through a Regulatory Information Service and will appear on our website, www.astrazeneca.com within 14 days of the date of the AGM.

Updated information

Certain information in the Company’s Annual Report and Form 20-F Information 2015 is updated here as follows: