6.12.2008 - 12:54pm ET

(CSRwire) WOONSOCKET, R.I., June 12 /PRNewswire/ -- This week, CVS/pharmacy begins its annual in-store fundraising campaign to support the fight against ALS. Since 2002, CVS/pharmacy has partnered with the ALS Therapy Alliance (ATA) to help advance amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research. To date, CVS/pharmacy has raised more than $10 million in its stores -- one $1 donation at a time -- to support the funding of new clinical trials with the hope of discovering a treatment or cure for this devastating disease. This year's campaign runs through June 28.

ALS is a disorder in which there is progressive degeneration of motor nerves in the brain and spinal cord leading to paralysis and death, typically within three to five years. There is no known cause or cure for ALS, which affects 25,000 Americans, with 5,000 new cases diagnosed each year.

The honorary co-chairs of this year's campaign are Jeanne Bouley, a former CVS employee and ALS patient, and Jon Roberts, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of CVS Caremark.

"When I was diagnosed with ALS in February of 2002, the doctors said, 'Do everything you possibly can as soon as you can because we don't know how long you have,'" said Bouley, who worked for CVS for twenty-one years. "Today, I hope that the donations made to ALS research by CVS customers will help to find a cure for ALS that can benefit others who are diagnosed with this disease."

"The support from CVS/pharmacy customers for ALS is phenomenal year after year," said Roberts. "Our employees have rallied around the cause as well and they ask each and every customer to support ALS research during our campaign season. In this way, we have raised more than $10 million with 100% of donations going directly to the ALS Therapy Alliance to fund their groundbreaking research."

ATA was founded in 2000 to provide a vehicle for a diverse group of scientists and clinicians to coordinate research related to ALS. The scientists involved in the ATA are affiliated with some of the best universities and medical centers, including, among others, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard College, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess 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 in making new research possible," said Robert Brown, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., director of the Cecil B. Day Laboratory for Neuromuscular Research at Massachusetts General Hospital. Donations from CVS/pharmacy customers have been used to build laboratory space, to support new technology, and to fund research. "We are very excited about the progress being made in finding a cure for ALS and we 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 making innovative and high-quality health and pharmacy services safe, affordable and easy to access, both in its stores and online at CVS.com. General information about CVS/pharmacy and CVS Caremark is available at http://www.cvs.com/pressroom , as well as http://investor.cvs.com

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