David Toms Wins CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenge at PGA TOUR's FedEx St. Jude Classic, Earning $50,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Press Release
Posted 2004-05-30
MEMPHIS, Tenn., May 29 /PRNewswire/ -- David Toms was named this week's
CRESTOR(R) (rosuvastatin calcium) Charity Challenge winner for his first-
place standing entering the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Classic. 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(R) 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 Toms' performance, AstraZeneca, on behalf of its CRESTOR(R) product
and the FedEx St. Jude Classic, will donate $50,000 to St. Jude Children's
Research Hospital, and $50,000 to the health-care charity of Toms' choice.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally recognized for
its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other
catastrophic diseases. Since the hospital's opening in 1962, it has treated
more than 20,000 children from all 50 states and 60 foreign countries and has
brought the survival rates for childhood cancers from less than 20 percent to
better than 70 percent overall. Founded by late entertainer Danny Thomas and
based in Memphis, Tenn., St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with
scientific and medical communities around the world. No family ever pays for
treatments not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never
asked to pay. St Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its fund-raising
organization.
"Thank you CRESTOR(R) and David Toms for your support of St. Jude," said
Richard Shadyac, national executive director of ALSAC, the fund-raising arm of
St. Jude. "The patients of St. Jude will greatly benefit from this prestigious
donation. The Fed Ex St. Jude Classic continues to be an event we look forward
to each year for spirited competition, camaraderie and, most importantly, the
great generosity of all participants."
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(R).
"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(R)
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 http://www.crestor.pgatour.com to take part in weekly
contests, read about past CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenge winners, and learn more
about CRESTOR(R). CRESTOR(R) also will be the official sponsor of TOUR Fantasy
Golf at http://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(R) 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(R) 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(R) and with other drugs in this class. CRESTOR(R)
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(R) 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.