HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C., April 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Ted Purdy was named this week's CRESTOR(R) (rosuvastatin calcium) Charity Challenge winner for his first-place standing entering the final round of the MCI Heritage. 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.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040417/NYSA001 )
For Purdy's performance, AstraZeneca, on behalf of its CRESTOR product and the MCI Heritage, will donate $50,000 to the Medical University of South Carolina Heart & Vascular Center, and $50,000 to the health-care charity of Purdy's choice.
The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston ranks among America's finest in the treatment of heart and vascular disease. The MUSC Heart & Vascular Center offers the full spectrum of care from prevention, education and non-surgical/surgical treatments to groundbreaking research giving patients access to new medications, technologies and procedures.
"Heart and vascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in the U.S., and South Carolina has one of the highest death rates in the country," said Ray Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., president, MUSC. "The Medical University is committed to working with partners, such as AstraZeneca, to improve these outcomes through research, education and enhanced patient care."
The CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenge is the centerpiece of a multi-year PGA TOUR partnership with AstraZeneca 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 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 http://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 http://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.
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040417/NYSA001AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.comAstraZenecaCONTACT: Chris Smith, PGA TOUR, +1-904-273-3379, csmith@pgatourhq.com;or Gary Bruell, AstraZeneca, +1-302-885-1554