Academy Prep Center's Health and Nutrition Programs Receive $50,000 Donation Through The CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenge at PGA TOUR's Chrysler Championship

TAMPA BAY, Fla., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Steve Lowery and Karl Pettersson were named this week's CRESTOR(R) (rosuvastatin calcium) Charity Challenge winners for their first-place standing entering the final round of the Chrysler Championship. The CRESTOR(R) 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 Lowery and Pettersson's performances performance, CRESTOR, an AstraZeneca pharmaceutical product, and the Chrysler Championship will donate $50,000 to the Academy Prep's Health and Nutrition Programs. In addition, $50,000 will be donated to the health care charity of Lowery and Pettersson's choice. CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenge winners and the tournament's designated charity will be recognized during the network or cable telecast of each tournament.

Last year, Vijay Singh was in the lead entering the final round of the Chrysler Championship. For his performance, AstraZeneca donated $50,000 to the Academy Prep's Health and Nutrition Programs, for a total of $100,000 over the past two years, and Singh donated $25,000 to the American Red Cross -- Charlie Hurricane Relief and $25,000 to Providence House.

"Through the CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenge, AstraZeneca has been a generous partner in the formation and expansion of Academy Prep's Health and Nutrition Programs," remarks Ben Fisher, Executive Director of the Academy Prep Foundation. "Through CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenge's support, Academy Prep has been able to significantly enhance the health and fitness programs and plan to continue addressing health issues by providing student health assessments, establishing health goals, starting a running initiative, and expanding the golf program to the Tampa City campus."

The CRESTOR(R) (rosuvastatin calcium) Charity Challenge is the centerpiece of a multi-year PGA TOUR partnership with AstraZeneca . Last year, AstraZeneca donated $2.7 million through the program. Highlights from the CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenge include:

* Rich Beam, Tim Clark, and Tom Pernice were the CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenge winners at last week's FUNAI Classic at the Walt Disney World(R) Resort * 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(R) Charity Challenge winners in 2005 are Luke Donald, Kenny Perry and Jim Furyk, who have each won twice * Singh has won eight (8) CRESTOR(R) 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(R) 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(R) 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(R) Charity Challenge winners and learn more about CRESTOR. CRESTOR is the presenting sponsor of TOUR Fantasy Golf at http://www.pgatour.com/fantasy and the PGA TOUR's year-end charity special that will air in December.

About Academy Prep

Academy Prep Centers are privately funded middle schools in St. Petersburg and Tampa for students who qualify for need-based support. All students attend -- up to 11 hours a day, 6 days a week, practically year round -- on full scholarships provided by the local community. Academy Prep offers a college preparatory curriculum and a wide array of enrichment activities including the arts, leadership training, and community activities such as acting as standard bearers at the Chrysler Championship Golf Tournament. While most students enter the 5th grade below grade level, the majority achieve 8th and 9th grade levels in reading and math in less than two years. Academy Prep has a 98% retention rate of graduates continuing in high school and college.

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/