Advertisement
ALS is a disorder in which there is progressive degeneration of motornerves in the brain and spinal cord leading to paralysis and death, typicallywithin three to five years. There is no known cause or cure for ALS, whichaffects 25,000 Americans, with 5,000 new cases diagnosed each year.
Advertisement
The honorary co-chairs of this year's campaign are Jeanne Bouley, a formerCVS employee and ALS patient, and Jon Roberts, Senior Vice President and ChiefInformation Officer of CVS Caremark.
"When I was diagnosed with ALS in February of 2002, the doctors said, 'Doeverything you possibly can as soon as you can because we don't know how longyou have,'" said Bouley, who worked for CVS for twenty-one years. "Today, Ihope that the donations made to ALS research by CVS customers will help tofind a cure for ALS that can benefit others who are diagnosed with thisdisease."
"The support from CVS/pharmacy customers for ALS is phenomenal year afteryear," said Roberts. "Our employees have rallied around the cause as well andthey ask each and every customer to support ALS research during our campaignseason. In this way, we have raised more than $10 million with 100% ofdonations going directly to the ALS Therapy Alliance to fund theirgroundbreaking research."
ATA was founded in 2000 to provide a vehicle for a diverse group ofscientists and clinicians to coordinate research related to ALS. Thescientists involved in the ATA are affiliated with some of the bestuniversities and medical centers, including, among others, MassachusettsGeneral Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology, Harvard College, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Beth IsraelDeaconess Hospital, Boston University and the University of Massachusetts.CVS Caremark is the largest corporate donor to the ALS Therapy Alliance.
"Funding provided through the CVS/pharmacy campaign has been pivotal inmaking new research possible," said Robert Brown, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., directorof the Cecil B. Day Laboratory for Neuromuscular Research at MassachusettsGeneral Hospital. Donations from CVS/pharmacy customers have been used tobuild laboratory space, to support new technology, and to fund research. "Weare very excited about the progress being made in finding a cure for ALS andwe are extremely grateful for the support of CVS/pharmacy and its customers."
About CVS/pharmacy
CVS/pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Caremark Corporation (NYSE: CVS),is America's largest retail pharmacy with more than 6,300 retail locations.CVS/pharmacy is committed to improving the lives of those we serve by makinginnovative and high-quality health and pharmacy services safe, affordable andeasy to access, both in its stores and online at CVS.com. General informationabout CVS/pharmacy and CVS Caremark is available athttp://www.cvs.com/pressroom , as well as http://investor.cvs.com .Contact: Carolyn Castel CVS/pharmacy (401) 770-5717 [email protected]
SOURCE CVS/pharmacy
