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CVS/pharmacy Raises $4.4 Million for ALS Research Through Annual ALS Fundraising Campaign

Check to benefit ALS Therapy Alliance to be presented at Fenway Park Tonight

CVS/pharmacy Raises $4.4 Million for ALS Research Through Annual ALS Fundraising Campaign

Check to benefit ALS Therapy Alliance to be presented at Fenway Park Tonight

Published 08-21-09

Submitted by CVS Health

CVS/pharmacy announced today that it has raised $4.4 million in just 21 days through its annual in-store fundraising campaign for ALS research. This is the eighth year of the annual fundraising effort which, to date, has raised $19.3 million for ALS research, $1 at a time. This year's fundraiser took place in CVS/pharmacy locations nationwide from June 7 to 27.

"Each year, we are amazed and grateful for the incredible support CVS/pharmacy customers demonstrate for ALS research," said Jonathan Roberts, Executive Vice President of CVS Caremark, who also served as an honorary chair of this year's fundraising campaign. "The $19.3 million our dedicated customers have raised, $1 at a time, helps further research into this devastating disease. We hope that today's check presentation shows how those individual contributions really make a big impact."

Serving with Roberts as co-chair of the campaign was Dana Miller, a 45-year-old resident of Wayland, Mass., and mother of four. She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of ALS just eight months ago.

ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, 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 funds raised from the CVS/pharmacy campaign will be donated to the ALS Therapy Alliance (ATA), which was founded in 2000 to provide a vehicle for a diverse group of scientists and clinicians to coordinate research related to ALS. Scientists involved in the ATA are affiliated with leading universities and medical centers, including Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, 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.

"CVS/pharmacy fundraising continues to have a significant impact on ALS research," said Robert Brown, Jr., D. Phil, M.D., Director of the Cecil B. Day Laboratory for Neuromuscular Research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. "The CVS/pharmacy ALS program has recruited outstanding scientists at multiple centers with new insights into the causes and treatments of this disease. Over the last year alone, the funding has facilitated the discovery of at least four new ALS-related genes and the expansion of an ALS drug discovery project."

The official check presentation will take place prior to the Boston Red Sox versus Yankees game at Fenway Park this evening with Tom Ryan, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of CVS Caremark, participating in the check presentation along with Roberts, Troy Brennan, M.D., M.P.H., Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of CVS Caremark, Dana Miller's husband Bill and their four children, Brown and H. Robert Horvitz, Ph.D., Howard Hughes Investigator, Dept. of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

About CVS/pharmacy
CVS/pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Caremark Corporation (NYSE: CVS), is America's largest retail pharmacy with more than 6,900 CVS/pharmacy and Longs Drugs stores. 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 www.cvscaremark.com.

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CVS Health

CVS Health

CVS Health (NYSE: CVS), is a pharmacy innovation company helping people on their path to better health. Through our 7,800 retail pharmacies, more than 900 walk-in medical clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with nearly 65 million plan members, and expanding specialty pharmacy services, we enable people, businesses and communities to manage health in more affordable, effective ways. This unique integrated model increases access to quality care, delivers better health outcomes and lowers overall health care costs. Find more information about how CVS Health is shaping the future of health at www.cvshealth.com.

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