Vijay Singh and Gavin Coles Win CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenge at PGA TO

HOUSTON, April 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Vijay Singh and Gavin Coles were named this week's CRESTOR(R) (rosuvastatin calcium) Charity Challenge winner for his first-place standing entering the final round of the Shell Houston Open. 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 Singh's and Coles' performances, CRESTOR, an AstraZeneca pharmaceutical product, and the Shell Houston Open will donate $50,000 to Houston Golf Association Core Charities represented by Boys & Girls Harbor, Inc. In addition, $50,000 will be donated to the health care charities of Singh's and Coles' 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 and John Huston were tied for the lead entering the final round of the Shell Houston Open. For their performances, AstraZeneca donated $50,000 to Boys & Girls Harbor, Singh donated $25,000 to Providence House, and Huston donated $25,000 to the Batten Disease Support and Research Center.

"For the second year in a row, the CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenge donation will help our children receive the proper medical care and nutrition they deserve," said Bill Jeter, president of Boys & Girls Harbor. "On behalf of all the core charities, we are grateful to AstraZeneca, the PGA TOUR and our long time benefactor, the Houston Golf Association, for allowing us to continue to give back to the community and provide care to the Houston area."

Opened in 1947, the mission of Boys & Girls Harbor is to provide healthy, comprehensive care for children and families in crisis. Through its programs, Boys & Girls Harbor strives to help children learn to overcome self- destructive patterns, break cycles of abuse, develop social skills and work towards becoming healthy, happy and productive members of society. Visit Boys & Girls Harbor at http://www.boysandgirlsharbor.org/ .

The CRESTOR(R) 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 2004 CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenge included:

* More than 50 charities benefited from the program. * Vijay Singh topped more than one money list in 2004, leading all players with five CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenge wins. * Tom Lehman was the only player to win three straight CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenges.

Adam Scott, who won twice, was the only other multiple winner. 17 CRESTOR(R) Charity Challenge winners went on to victory in their respective 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 pgatour.com/fantasy and the PGA TOUR's year-end charity special that will air in December.

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/