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Arron Oberholser wins CRESTORŽ Charity Challenge
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CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 8, 2004 (PR Newswire via COMTEX) Arron Oberholser was named this week's CRESTOR(R) (rosuvastatin calcium) Charity Challenge winner for his first-place standing entering the final round of the Wachovia Championship. The CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenge is a season-long weekly competition that recognizes the tournament leader entering the final round at most PGA TOUR events throughout the year. Through this first-of-its kind program, AstraZeneca and its CRESTOR product will donate approximately $3 million a year to designated health care and PGA TOUR charities. At each of the selected tournaments, a $100,000 contribution will be made.
For Oberholser's performance, AstraZeneca, on behalf of its CRESTOR product and the Wachovia Championship, will donate $50,000 to Levine Children's Hospital, and $50,000 to the health-care charity of Oberholser's choice.
Projected to open in 2007, Levine Children's Hospital will be located on the campus with multiple connections to the existing hospital. More than half a million children live in the 28-county region surrounding Charlotte and an additional 95,000 children will be born or move into the area in the next decade, yet the region lacks an acute care facility dedicated solely to the needs of children and their families. Construction on this $85-million dedicated children's hospital will begin upon receiving approval by the North Carolina Certificate of Need office.
"We are grateful to AstraZeneca and CRESTOR for this generous gift," said Suzanne Freeman, president of Carolina's Medical Center. "We know how much this donation will mean to the children who come to us for care."
The CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenge is the centerpiece of a multi-year PGA TOUR partnership with AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) on behalf of its cholesterol-lowering medication, CRESTOR.
"Giving back is at the heart of the PGA TOUR and AstraZeneca is pleased to be able to support this by offering health education and recognizing local communities through the CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenge," said Tony Zook, senior vice president, commercial operations, AstraZeneca U.S. "The CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenge will not only add an exciting new twist to the PGA TOUR, it will also help the TOUR reach its milestone of $1 billion in charitable donations within the next few years."
CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenge winners will be recognized during the network or cable telecast of each tournament. In addition, AstraZeneca and CRESTOR will sponsor the PGA TOUR year-end charity special, which is scheduled to air December 18 on ABC.
The PGA TOUR partnership also includes the CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenge Pavilion, an on-site component at select tournaments featuring interactive exhibits designed to provide health and cholesterol awareness, educational activities, health screenings/assessments, and golf tips by teaching pros for fans.
Fans can log on to www.crestor.pgatour.com to take part in weekly contests, read about past CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenge winners, and learn more about CRESTOR. CRESTOR also will be the official sponsor of TOUR Fantasy Golf at pgatour.com/fantasy.
About CRESTOR(R) (rosuvastatin calcium)
CRESTOR(R) (rosuvastatin calcium) is a once-daily prescription medication for use as an adjunct to diet in the treatment of various lipid disorders including primary hypercholesterolemia, mixed dyslipidemia and isolated hypertriglyceridemia.
CRESTOR is generally well tolerated. Adverse reactions have usually been mild and transient. In clinical trials of 10,275 patients, the most commonly reported treatment-related adverse events were myalgia, constipation, asthenia, abdominal pain and nausea.
CRESTOR is contraindicated in patients with active liver disease or unexplained persistent elevations of serum transaminases and in women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, and in nursing mothers. Rare cases of rhabdomyolysis with acute renal failure secondary to myoglobinuria have been reported with CRESTOR and with other drugs in this class. CRESTOR should be prescribed with caution in patients with predisposing factors for myopathy, such as renal impairment. Patients should be advised to promptly report unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness, particularly if accompanied by malaise or fever. It is recommended that liver function tests be performed before and at 12 weeks following both the initiation of therapy and any elevation of dose, and periodically (e.g., semiannually) thereafter.
Full prescribing and product information for CRESTOR is available by calling the AstraZeneca Information Center at 1-800-236-9933 or by visiting www.crestor.com.
About ASTRAZENECA
AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of the top five pharmaceutical companies in the world with healthcare sales of over $18.8 billion and leading positions in sales of cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, oncology, neuroscience and respiratory products. In the United States, AstraZeneca is an $8.7 billion healthcare business with more than 11,000 employees. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global and European) as well as the FTSE4Good Index.
SOURCE AstraZeneca
CONTACT:
Chris Smith of PGA TOUR
(904) 273-3379
csmith@pgatourhq.com
Gary Bruell of AstraZeneca,
(302) 885-1554
© 2004 PR Newswire. All rights reserved.