LAS VEGAS, Jan. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman today joined employees at Medco Health Solutions Inc.'s Las Vegas Dispensing Pharmacy to load the first pallets of critically needed generic medicines in the global humanitarian relief effort for victims of the earthquake and tsunami that swept across Asia and the east coast of Africa. The donation from Medco’s Las Vegas pharmacy is part of the company’s commitment to ship about 13 million doses of generic medicines to disaster victims.
“A donation of this magnitude is extraordinary,” said Mayor Goodman. “Medco exemplifies the generosity of our community and the desire to assist the millions of victims affected by this natural disaster. I am proud to be the Mayor of such a caring community.”
To ensure the medicines efficiently reach those in need, Medco is partnering with AmeriCares, a Stamford, Conn.-based nonprofit disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization that since 1982 has delivered more than $4 billion of medical relief supplies to more than 137 countries.
“We are truly appreciative of Medco’s generosity at this critical time,” said Curtis R. Welling, president and CEO of AmeriCares. “Millions of people without clean water or safe sanitation are at increasing risk of infectious disease. Medco’s timely and responsive donation of particularly appropriate medicines will allow us to provide life-saving medicine to those in need.”
Medco, one of the nation’s largest purchasers of generic medicines, identified within its pharmacy inventories the medicines highlighted as “most in need” by AmeriCares and will donate 20 different generic medicines, including antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular, diabetes and gastrointestinal products. In some categories of medicines, the Medco donation enables AmeriCares to achieve 100 percent of its immediate relief- effort supply goal for the affected regions.
Medco’s two state-of-the-art automated dispensing pharmacies in Las Vegas and Willingboro, N.J. will fulfill a significant portion of the request, with the remainder being shipped from the company’s Ohio pharmacy. More than 9 million doses - approximately 18 pallets - will be shipped from the Las Vegas pharmacy.
“Our hearts extend out to the millions of victims. With a disaster of such scale and magnitude, governments, corporations and individuals worldwide have been moved to provide assistance on many levels,” said Roger Anderson, Dr.P.H., senior vice president, chief pharmacist, Medco. “Every day, Medco employees focus their pharmacy skill and leverage the company’s scale to meet the challenge of delivering medicines to Americans. We are now in a position to help deliver medicines to the needy of the world as our contribution in addressing this dire and desperate need.”
In the first of several planned rescue relief missions, AmeriCares has already transported more than 30,000 pounds of supplies to the affected regions. Medicines from Medco’s mail-order pharmacies in Nevada, New Jersey and Ohio will be delivered to AmeriCares as part of its upcoming airlifts.
“The immediate destruction and death are tragic beyond description, but unfortunately just the beginning of the healthcare challenge,” said Dr. Robert Epstein, Medco’s chief medical officer. “With countless numbers of injuries, and water and sanitary systems compromised, the risk for outbreaks of infectious disease is beyond a possibility -- it is a probability -- and these medicines will help to address a critical need.”
Snow added, “We stand ready to consider additional donations as continuing needs are identified.”
About AmeriCares
AmeriCares is a nonprofit international disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization, which provides immediate response to emergency medical needs and supports long-term humanitarian assistance programs around the world. AmeriCares has been given a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, the highest possible rating, indicating effective management practices.
To support AmeriCares relief efforts, call 1-800-486-HELP or visit: http://www.americares.org/.
About Medco
Medco Health Solutions, Inc., a leading pharmacy benefit manager with the nation’s largest mail order pharmacy operations, assists its customers to moderate the cost and enhance the quality of prescription drug benefits provided to members nationwide. Its customers include private- and public- sector employers and healthcare organizations. Medco is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MHS. On the Net: http://www.medco.com/.
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual results may differ materially from those projected. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward- looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Forward-looking statements in this presentation should be evaluated together with the risks and uncertainties that affect our business, particularly those mentioned in the Risk Factors section of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Medco Health Solutions, Inc.
CONTACT: Soraya Rodriguez-Balzac of Medco Health Solutions,+1-973-885-8393 (cell), soraya_rodriguez-balzac@medco.com, or Chris Ferrari,+1-702-967-2222, cferrari@brown-partners.com, for Medco Health Solutions
Web site: http://www.americares.org/
Web site: http://www.medco.com/