WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- With contributions ranging from desperately needed insulins and antibiotics to infant formulas and personal care kits, America's pharmaceutical research companies have stepped up relief efforts in the devastated Gulf region with donations soaring to more than $100 million.

Since Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama a little more than two weeks ago, pharmaceutical industry donations of medical supplies, medicines and cash have increased sharply from an initial immediate contribution of about $25 million.

The assistance, which continues to grow by the hour, is being sent to public and private relief organizations, including AmeriCares, the American Red Cross and the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation. Companies are also making direct cash and product contributions to medical centers in the region and providing free medicines to pharmacy chains for distribution to Katrina victims.

"We are determined to help emergency health workers win the battle over a looming public health crisis," said Billy Tauzin, President and CEO of PhRMA, who represented parts of the ravaged Gulf Coast for 25 years in Congress. "Our companies are helping to make sure doctors and nurses throughout the affected region have the medical supplies and medicines they need to treat sick and injured Hurricane Katrina victims."

In addition to millions of cans of infant formula, tens of thousands of personal care kits and an emergency diabetes clinic at Louisiana State University's Pennington Medical Center, industry contributions have included three 80-foot-long "labs on wheels" that provide healthcare staffs working at mobile hospitals with the most modern medical diagnostic equipment.

Donated medical devices include hand-held blood analyzers that allow doctors to save time by not having to send blood samples to labs and blood glucose monitors and test strips to help hurricane victims with diabetes. Medication contributions include vaccines for hepatitis A and B, influenza, measles, mumps and rubella, antibiotics and antiseptics.

    The following is a summary of company contributions to date:

    ABBOTT
    * Provided $2 million in cash donations to key relief organizations.
    * Donated and shipped $4.5 million in nutritional, medical and
      pharmaceutical products to help victims of the disaster.
    * Three 80-foot-long "labs on wheels" are providing healthcare staff
      working at mobile hospitals with the latest advanced diagnostic
      equipment.

    AMGEN
    * Initial cash donation of $2.5 million and establishing a company-wide
      Hurricane Katrina Relief Program in support of humanitarian aid, with a
      special focus on access to health care.
    * The Amgen Foundation donated $100,000 to a relief support organization.
    * In the week following the hurricane, Amgen staff alone contributed
      $370,000 for relief efforts.  The foundation will match all
      contributions.
    * Working to ensure uninterrupted distribution of products to suppliers,
      physicians and most importantly, patients in the impacted areas.

    AMYLIN
    * Donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross and will match all employee
      contributions up to an additional $100,000.
    * Also donating $50,000 to the Pennington Medical Center at the Louisiana
      State University in Baton Rouge for the establishment of an emergency
      diabetes clinic to serve individuals who are now homeless or unable to
      access proper care and medications.

    ASTELLAS
    * Donating $250,000 to the American Red Cross for relief efforts.
    * Additionally, Astellas will match employee contributions up to $50,000
      to the American Red Cross.
    * Evaluating what antibiotics should be delivered to relief areas.

    ASTRAZENECA
    * Initial cash donation of $1 million to the American Red Cross.
    * Will provide up to $5 million in free medicine to victims of Hurricane
      Katrina.
    * Will match company employee donations to the American Red Cross dollar-
      for-dollar.
    * Will continue to provide free medicines to patients and clinics through
      the company's Patient Assistance and Caring Partners Programs, and to
      national and local disaster relief organizations aiding hurricane-
      affected areas.

    BAYER
    * Donations have doubled since their initial pledge and are now close to
      $4 million in cash and goods.
    * Donated and shipped two tractor-trailer loads of materials including
      employee-donated supplies, over-the-counter products and blood glucose
      monitors.
    * Will match Bayer employee donations dollar-for-dollar, which will then
      be donated to the American Red Cross.  Employees have already donated
      $220,000.

    BERLEX
    * Will match employees' contributions to the American Red Cross.
    * Replacing lost or destroyed product to patients, as needed, at no
      charge.

    BMS
    * Donated $1.1 million in cash to the American Red Cross.
    * Product donations valued at over $2 million (through our relief agency
      partners Direct Relief International, Project HOPE, and AmeriCares).
    * Donations of over $235,000 to the American Red Cross through the
      company's Employee Matching Gift program, which matches U.S. employees'
      contributions dollar for dollar. To date, over 1,200 employees have
      participated in this program.
    * Mead Johnson Nutritionals has provided more than 2 million bottles or
      cans of infant formula and other nutritional products valued at over
      $3.5 million.
    * Will donate ostomy, wound care and skin care products worth
      approximately $200,000 for hurricane victims.

    BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM
    * Cash donations up to $600,000 to aid various relief and charitable
      organizations.
    * More than $2 million in free branded and multisource product donations
      have been designated to clinics and patients.  Will continue to make
      substantial donations as needs are assessed.
    * Supporting the relief initiatives of our Pharmacy Retail Partners.
      Initiatives include providing free product for those individuals
      displaced by this disaster.
    * Additionally, the company has taken extra steps to ensure that its
      Patient Assistance Program can quickly respond to patients in the
      impacted area.

    CEPHALON
    * Matching employee donations to hurricane relief organizations.
    * Donating product to emergency workers that treats excessive sleepiness
      associated with shift work sleep disorder.

    DAIICHI
    * Donating $10,000 to the American Red Cross.
    * Matching employee donations to the American Red Cross.

    EISAI
    * Donating a total of $1.25 million in cash -- $1 million from parent
      company Eisai Co., Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, and $250,000 from Eisai
      U.S.
    * Will also match employee donations.

    ELI LILLY
    * Donating $1 million to the American Red Cross.
    * Donating $1 million in insulin products and an additional $1 million for
      other products.
    * Plans to send 40,000 vials of refrigerated insulin.
    * Will match dollar-for-dollar employee contributions to the American Red
      Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

    GENZYME
    * Will make product donations.
    * Matching employee contribution program.

    GLAXOSMITHKLINE
    * Donated one million dollars to relief funds -- $500,000 to the American
      Red Cross, $250,000 to the Mississippi Hurricane Fund and $250,000 to
      the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation.
    * Donated $10 million in prescription drug products (based on
      wholesale acquisition cost).
    * Donated products include antibiotics and medicines for diabetes,
      respiratory conditions, cardiovascular disease, and epilepsy.
    * Matching employee contributions.

    JOHNSON & JOHNSON
    * Donating $5 million in cash to various relief and charitable
      organizations.
    * In addition, donated approximately $2 million worth of essential
      disaster relief products including 2,000 personal care kits and two
      Disaster Relief Modules to MAP International. Donations have included
      non-prescription pain relievers, wound care products, prescription
      medicines and surgical products.
    * Working closely with disaster relief organizations to meet the immediate
      needs for personal care and medical products and determine ongoing
      requirements.
    * Matching employee and retiree donations to relief organizations.
      Donations will be matched dollar-for-dollar.

    MERCK
    * Immediate cash donation of $1 million from The Merck Company Foundation
      to the American Red Cross to support relief efforts.
    * Donated more than $6.7 million in vaccines for hepatitis A, hepatitis B,
      Hemophilus influenzae type b (HIB), measles, mumps and rubella to assist
      relief efforts. Will continue to make substantial donations of medicines
      and vaccines as the need is assessed.
    * Replacing prescription medicines for victims, hospitals and clinics that
      lost medicines in the flood.
    * Additional shipments of Merck medicines worth more than $140,000 are
      being delivered through non-governmental organizations.
    * Ensuring that areas impacted are aware of the Merck Patient Assistance
      Program, which provides donated medicines free for eligible Americans.
    * 100% match (by The Merck Company Foundation) of employee donations to
      qualified relief agencies engaged in disaster relief efforts.

    MILLENNIUM
    * Employees will have the opportunity to provide support to those impacted
      by Hurricane Katrina through payroll deductions.  Donations will be sent
      to both AmeriCares and the American Red Cross.

    NOVARTIS
    * Donated more than $10.5 million in pharmaceutical and over-the-
      counter products, including infant and baby and nutritional products.
    * Donated $1 million cash to relief efforts, which includes
      employee donations, company dollar-for-dollar matching gifts, and US
      Novartis Group Companies corporate contributions.
    * Working with local government officials and third party organizations to
      ship products (AmeriCares, American Red Cross).

    NOVO NORDISK
    * Donating $1 million, with half the monetary donation to provide
      immediate care for people with diabetes and the other half for general
      relief efforts.
    * Donated and shipped $2.8 million worth of insulin products and delivery
      devices into the Gulf Coast area.
    * Will provide clinics and shelters with refrigerators and generators as
      needed.
    * Will match all personal employee donations to the American Red Cross.

    ORGANON
    * Will make cash donations.
    * Matching employee donations.
    * Independently raising money for relief efforts.

    OTSUKA
    * Cash donation of $3,000 to the American Red Cross.
    * Other Otsuka Group companies in the U.S. have donated an additional
      $7,900.
    * Made product donations to hurricane victims in the area.

    PFIZER
    * Donating $1 million for rebuilding hospital and healthcare centers.
    * Donating $1 million for relief organizations: the American Red Cross,
      Salvation Army and the United Way of America.
    * Expedited $1.3 million in donations for medicines and consumer products.
      Medicines are for both acute and chronic conditions including high
      cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension, HIV-AIDS and anti-infectives.
    * In addition to making medicines immediately available through a pharmacy
      partnership program, Pfizer is also providing medicines through several
      local hospitals and relief organizations.
    * Employees have donated $900,000 so far as part of a matching fund
      program.

    PROCTER & GAMBLE
    * Donated $1 million in combined cash and products.
    * Continuing to work with the American Red Cross to assess additional
      needs.
    * Encouraging employees to contribute to the American Red Cross.

    PURDUE PHARMA
    * Will match donations made by employees to the American Red Cross and
      AmeriCares, up to $50,000.
    * Working with AmeriCares to provide medications such as antibiotics and
      antiseptics ($800,000 worth of Betadine).

    ROCHE
    * Providing HIV products, such as Fuzeon and Invirase, to state AIDS Drug
      Assistance Programs (ADAPs) that are assisting displaced patients from
      the ADAP programs in the affected areas.
    * Will provide products to eligible individuals through existing patient
      assistance program, at no charge.
    * Will also offer reimbursement assistance for selected products.
    * Providing immunosuppressive drugs to transplant centers and hospitals
      for transplant recipients who have lost their medications or who have
      been made indigent by the disaster.
    * Has extended the employee matching gift program to support Hurricane
      Katrina relief through the American Red Cross.

    SANOFI-AVENTIS
    * Donated $1.2 million in diabetes medicines for hurricane victims.
      Delivered 20,000 vials of Lantus, an injectable insulin treatment for
      diabetes, to the hurricane disaster region.
    * Pledged $100,000 donation to provide needed medical and health services
      to the children of hurricane victims.
    * Donated tens of thousands of doses of tetanus vaccine for use by victims
      and emergency responders as well as a variety of pediatric vaccines.
    * Matching employee donations.
    * Continuing to deliver many essential medicines including sleep aids,
      antibiotics, heart medications and cancer treatments to those in need.

    SCHERING-PLOUGH
    * Donated $5 million in medicines and other products.
    * $500,000 cash contribution including $150,000 to the Children's Health
      Fund.
    * Use of company aircraft to transport critically ill patients in the
      affected areas.
    * Converted 15,000 square feet of office space in Schering-Plough's
      Memphis, Tennessee location into a Red Cross "satellite" service center
      in partnership with the local Memphis Red Cross office.  Hundreds of
      families are receiving services at the facility, which will stay open as
      long as needed.
    * Company employee match program.

    SEPRACOR
    * Offering a matching gift program.

    SERONO
    * Offering a matching gift program.
    * Assisting employees who have been impacted in the regions of the
      hurricane.
    * Assessing needs of victims and donating products as necessary.

    SOLVAY
    * Will match hurricane relief contributions of its employees up to
      $50,000.

    TAKEDA
    * Cash donation of $200,000 to the American Red Cross.
    * Donating products.
    * Matching employee contributions.

    3M
    * Authorized $500,000 in employee matching gifts.
    * $1 million in safety, medical and cleaning products (already shipped
      over 75,000 respirators).

    VALEANT
    * Match employee donations.
    * Donate appropriate medicines to relief efforts.
    * Provide support for any affected employees.
    * Allow time off for employees that want to provide assistance.

    WYETH
    * Donating $1 million, which will be distributed to several organizations
      including the American Red Cross and the Children's Health Fund.
    * Established two initiatives to help provide access to prescription
      medications to victims who have been tragically affected by Hurricane
      Katrina.
    * Matching employee donations to the American Red Cross.
    * Donating needed pharmaceutical products to relief efforts.

    PhRMA
    * Matching all employee donations.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) represents the country's leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, which are devoted to inventing medicines that allow patients to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. PhRMA members alone invested an estimated $38.8 billion in 2004 in discovering and developing new medicines. PhRMA companies are leading the way in the search for new cures.

American Red Cross: https://give.redcross.org/?hurricanemasthead

PhRMA Internet Address: http://www.phrma.org

For information on how innovative medicines save lives, visit: http://www.innovation.org

For information on the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, visit: http://www.pparx.org