Todd Hamilton Wins CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenge at PGA TOUR's Honda Classic

Press Release

Posted 2004-03-15

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla., March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Todd Hamilton was named this week's CRESTORŽ (rosuvastatin calcium) Charity Challenge winner for his first-place standing entering the final round of The Honda Classic. The CRESTORŽ Charity Challenge is the centerpiece of a multi-year PGA TOUR partnership with AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN - News) on behalf of its new cholesterol- lowering medication, CRESTOR. The CRESTORŽ Charity Challenge began at the Ford Championship at Doral in Miami and concludes in Atlanta at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040313/NYSA014 ) The season-long weekly competition recognizes the tournament leader entering the final round at select PGA TOUR events throughout the year. For Hamilton's winning performance, AstraZeneca, on behalf of its CRESTOR brand and The Honda Classic, donated $50,000 to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida and $50,000 to the health care-related charity of Hamilton's choice.

Through this first-of-its kind program, AstraZeneca and its CRESTOR brand will donate approximately $3 million each year to designated health care and PGA TOUR charities. At each of the selected tournaments, a $100,000 contribution will be made, $50,000 will be donated to a health care-related charity selected by the CRESTOR Charity Challenge winner for his on-course performance entering the final round and $50,000 will be donated to a local charity selected by the tournament.

"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 Charity Challenge," said Tony Zook, senior vice president, commercial operations, AstraZeneca U.S. "The CRESTOR 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."

CRESTORŽ Charity Challenge winners will be recognized during the network or cable telecast of each week's tournament. In addition, AstraZeneca and CRESTOR will be recognized as the sponsor of the PGA TOUR year-end charity special, which is scheduled to air December 18 on ABC-TV.

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 attending selected events.

Consumers can log on to crestor.pgatour.com to take part in weekly contests, read about past CRESTORŽ Charity Challenge winners, and learn more about CRESTOR. CRESTOR also will be the official sponsor of TOUR Fantasy Golf at pgatour.com/fantasy.

About the PGA TOUR

The PGA TOUR is a tax-exempt membership organization of professional golfers. Its primary purpose is to provide significant competitive earnings opportunities for past, current and future members of the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour; to protect the integrity of the game; and to help grow the reach of the game in the U.S. and around the world.

Approximately 105 events will be contested on the three Tours in 2004, for nearly $310 million in prize money. In addition to providing competitive opportunities for its membership, TOUR events also generate significant sums of money for charity. TOUR events have raised more than $820 million for charity since 1938, the first year such records were kept. The PGA TOUR's Web site address is www.pgatour.com.

About CRESTORŽ (rosuvastatin calcium)

CRESTORŽ (rosuvastatin calcium) is a new, 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 a member of the statin (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) class of drug therapy. In clinical trials, CRESTOR lowered LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol or "bad" cholesterol by 45 to 63 percent (7 percent for placebo) and increased HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol or "good" cholesterol by 8 to 14 percent (3 percent for placebo).

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.