American pharmaceutical companies have donated millions of dollars in cash and medicines to the Gulf Coast region for victims of Hurricane Katrina. The assistance is being sent to both public and private relief organizations. The donations include:

• $2 million in cash and $4.5 million in nutritional, medical and pharmaceutical products from Abbott Laboratories
• $2.5 million cash from Amgen
• $1 million cash to the American Red Cross and $5 million in free medicines from AstraZeneca
• $5 million in cash to various relief and charitable organizations from Johnson & Johnson, along with $1 million in disaster relief products including 5,000 personal care kits and two disaster-relief modules

“Tens of thousands of Americans who are now survivors of Hurricane Katrina are going to need a wide array of medicines and medical supplies in the days ahead and for the foreseeable future,” says Billy Tauzin, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America president and CEO. “PhRMA member companies are helping to make sure that doctors and nurses in the affected region have what they need to effectively treat displaced victims who survived in the unparalleled tragedy of Hurricane Katrina.”

PhRMA represents the country’s leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies. For more information, visit www.phrma.org.

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