LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Ted Purdy was named this week's Crestor® (rosuvastatin calcium) Charity Challenge winner for his first-place standing entering the final round of the Michelin Championship at Las Vegas.
The Crestor® Charity Challenge is a season-long competition that recognizes and rewards the tournament leader entering the final round at 35 PGA TOUR events. Through the program, now in its second year, AstraZeneca will donate $3.5 million a year to designated health and PGA TOUR charities. At each of the selected tournaments, a $100,000 contribution will be made, supporting the PGA TOUR's "Drive to a Billion" campaign which celebrates the spirit of giving that has helped the TOUR and its tournaments approach the milestone of $1 billion dollars in charitable giving.
For Purdy's performance, Crestor, an AstraZeneca pharmaceutical product, and the Michelin Championship at Las Vegas will donate $50,000 to Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation. In addition, $50,000 will be donated to the health care charity of Purdy's choice. Crestor® Charity Challenge winners and the tournament's designated charity will be recognized during the network or cable telecast of each tournament.
Last year, Tom Lehman was in the lead entering the final round of the Michelin Championship at Las Vegas. For his performance, AstraZeneca donated $50,000 to the Las Vegas Founders' Club, and Lehman donated $50,000 to the Children's Cancer Research Fund.
"Just as AstraZeneca provides important tools in managing our health, they are continuing to show their care and concern for the special children and families that we serve," said Jeffrey Gordon, president/CEO of the Foundation. "With this most generous donation by the Crestor® Charity Challenge and AstraZeneca, we will be able to provide hope, courage, and triumph to so many deserving families through Project A.R.K., which is our social services division."
The Crestor® (rosuvastatin calcium) Charity Challenge is the centerpiece of a multi-year PGA TOUR partnership with AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN - News). Last year, AstraZeneca donated $2.7 million through the program. Highlights from the Crestor® Charity Challenge include:
* K.J Choi and D.J. Trahan were the last Crestor® Charity Challenge winners, triumphing at the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro two weeks ago
* Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson lead all players in 2005 with three (3) CCC victories (Singh: Mercedes Championship, Shell Houston Open and Buick Open; Mickelson: Buick Invitational, AT&T Pebble Beach and Ford Championship at Doral)
* The other multiple Crestor® Charity Challenge winners in 2005 are Luke Donald, Kenny Perry and Jim Furyk, who have each won twice
* Singh has won eight (8) Crestor® Charity Challenges since the program's inception in 2004 resulting in $350,000 to the charities of his choice -- $150,000 of which was donated to the American Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund. (Singh tied for the lead entering the final round at two tournaments)
"After just one year, the Crestor® Charity Challenge has become a visible extension of the PGA TOUR's mission of giving back in local communities throughout America," said Tony Zook, senior vice president, commercial operations, AstraZeneca U.S. "Through AstraZeneca's support, the Crestor® Charity Challenge will play a major role in the PGA TOUR's 'Drive to a Billion' charitable program."
Fans can log on to http://www.crestor.pgatour.com to read about past Crestor® Charity Challenge winners and learn more about Crestor. Crestor is the presenting sponsor of TOUR Fantasy Golf at pgatour.com/fantasy and the PGA TOUR's year-end charity special that will air in December.
About Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation
Founded in 1993, the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation works side by side with the medical community to provide social, emotional, educational, and psychological support services and programs to families of ALL children who are diagnosed with a life threatening or critical illness such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, sickle cell, hemophilia, renal disorders, and other immunologic diseases. They provide comfort and support while empowering and educating families, through support groups, individual counseling for the entire family, family assessment with staff social workers, and many other services offered through Project A.R.K. (aids and resources for kids).
About Crestor
Crestor (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. It is a member of the statin (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) class of drug therapy. Crestor has not been determined to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, or strokes. For patients with hypercholesterolemia and mixed dyslipidemia, the usual recommended starting dose of Crestor is 10 mg. Initiation of therapy with 5 mg once daily should be considered for patients requiring less aggressive LDL-C reductions or who have predisposing factors for myopathy. For patients with marked hypercholesterolemia (LDL-C >190 mg/dL) and aggressive lipid targets, a 20-mg starting dose may be considered. AstraZeneca licensed worldwide rights to Crestor from the Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi & Co., Ltd.
Important Safety Information
Crestor is contraindicated in patients with active liver disease or unexplained persistent elevations of serum transaminases, in women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, and in nursing mothers. 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. Rare cases of rhabdomyolysis with acute renal failure secondary to myoglobinuria have been reported with Crestor and with other drugs in this class. The 40-mg dose of Crestor is reserved for those patients who have not achieved LDL-C goal at 20 mg. 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. Crestor is generally well-tolerated. Adverse reactions have usually been mild and transient. The most frequent adverse events thought to be related to Crestor were myalgia (3.3%), constipation (1.4%), asthenia (1.3%), abdominal pain (1.3%) and nausea (1.3%). A full copy of the prescribing information for Crestor is available at http://www.astrazeneca- us.com/pi/crestor.pdf or by calling 1-877-420-7249.
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 world's leading pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of over $21.4 billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, respiratory, oncology and neuroscience products. In the United States, AstraZeneca is a $9.6 billion healthcare business with more than 12,000 employees. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global) as well as the FTSE4Good Index. For more information about AstraZeneca, please visit: http://www.astrazeneca-us.com