Health

New Together Rx Access Card Offers Americans With No Prescription Drug Coverage Savings at Pharmacy Counter; Program Enrollment Begins Today for Free, Easy-to-Use Card

February 8, 2005

WASHINGTON (AScribe Newswire) -- Approximately
36 million uninsured Americans will be eligible to receive
meaningful savings on a wide range of brand-name and generic
prescription products through the Together Rx Access Card
program, launched today by 10 companies. The new Together Rx
Access Card offers savings, right at the pharmacy counter,
on the broadest range of pharmaceuticals of any industry
program through a free, easy-to-use Card. The Card will help
uninsured Americans gain better access to prescription
products. Enrollment begins today across the country for
Americans who meet income and age eligibility requirements.

"The Together Rx Access Card will make life-saving and
life-enhancing prescription medicines more affordable for
millions of uninsured patients," said Tommy G. Thompson,
Secretary of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services. "Solving the complex issue of
helping the uninsured in this country gain access to
healthcare must take a united effort by all sectors of
society, and I commend these companies for stepping forward
to be part of the solution. The Together Rx Access Card is a
common-sense, pragmatic way to give the uninsured access to
prescription medicines."

The Together Rx Access, L.L.C. includes Abbott,
AstraZeneca, Bristol- Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, members
of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies(1), Novartis,
Pfizer, sanofi-aventis Group(2), Takeda, and TAP
Pharmaceutical Products Inc. Together Rx Access, L.L.C. was
created to help uninsured Americans gain broad access to and
meaningful savings on prescription products. Together, the
participating companies offer savings on more than 275
brand-name prescription products. These products include
those used to treat diabetes, hypertension, high
cholesterol, cancer, allergy, asthma, arthritis, and
depression, which are among the most common conditions
affecting Americans. Eligible uninsured individuals can
expect to save approximately 25-40 percent, and sometimes
more(3), on the prescription products directly from the
manufacturers, as well as on a wide range of generic
products. Together Rx Access also can help direct
individuals to various additional resources for help on
obtaining coverage or products.

"The companies in Together Rx Access have stepped forward
to offer substantial relief for the serious national problem
of the uninsured," said Roba Whiteley, executive director of
Together Rx Access. "The goal of the Together Rx Access
Card is to help the millions of Americans without
prescription drug coverage gain access to the prescription
products they need. It will also help them take care of
what's most important - their health. We believe that the
Together Rx Access Card will make a real difference."

The benefits of the Together Rx Access Card extend to 80
percent of the 45 million Americans - including more than
eight million children - who are uninsured and don't have
prescription drug coverage. Approximately eight out of 10
Americans without healthcare coverage are in families that
are actively employed, working at full-time jobs or a series
of part-time jobs that do not offer health insurance.(4)
About one-third of Hispanics are uninsured, a rate three
times higher than for non-Hispanic whites.(5)

"The strengths of the Together Rx Access Card will not be
savings alone," said Ms. Whiteley. "The breadth of choice
that we are able to offer patients and their physicians
helps to bring them the best of healthcare."

Broad Eligibility

To qualify for the Together Rx Access Card, applicants
must be legal U.S. residents under age 65 and otherwise not
eligible for Medicare, without public or private
prescription drug coverage and with incomes of up to $30,000
for a single person or $60,000 for a family of four (income
eligibility is adjusted for family size).(6)

In addition to participating in Together Rx Access, each
of the 10 participating companies independently offers
Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs). People applying to
enroll for Together Rx Access will be automatically notified
if they may be eligible for further savings - and in some
cases free medicines - through these PAPs.

Safeguarding the Health of Working Americans and their
Families

For families who lack healthcare insurance, including
prescription drug coverage, the consequences for their
youngest members can be serious. Uninsured children are
three times less likely than insured children to get a
prescription they need(7), and 70 percent more likely to go
untreated for common illnesses such as asthma, ear
infections, and sore throats, according to a national
study.(8)

"Together Rx Access companies have applied the experience
gained through the successful implementation of the Together
Rx prescription savings program for low-income Medicare
beneficiaries to create an initiative to reach a broad
cross-section of America's uninsured," Ms. Whiteley noted.

Large Network of Participating Pharmacies

Pharmacies nationwide have shown strong support for the
Together Rx Access Card. The Together Rx Access Card
savings will be available at the majority of pharmacies
nationwide and in Puerto Rico by mid-February 2005.

How to Enroll

Those who qualify can enroll immediately in the Together
Rx Access Card program free of charge by calling
1-800-444-4106 or visiting www.TogetherRxAccess.com. The
Together Rx Access Card will be effective mid-February,
2005. Enrollment forms and information also will be
available through participating pharmacies and in
physicians' offices.

About Together Rx Access, L.L.C.

In introducing the Together Rx Access Card, the companies
in Together Rx Access, L.L.C., are applying the experience
that the Together Rx, L.L.C. companies gained in creating
the successful Together Rx Card, which has enrolled nearly
1.5 million cardholders. Since its introduction in 2002,
the Together Rx Card has helped seniors save more than $700
million on prescription drugs. With the advent of the
Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit, Together Rx Access now
has the opportunity to provide uninsured, non-senior
Americans with significant pharmaceutical savings.

The Together Rx Access companies encourage other
pharmaceutical companies to join them in this unprecedented
initiative. The companies include:

Abbott

Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted
to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of
pharmaceuticals and medical products, including
nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs
more than 55,000 people and markets its products in more
than 130 countries. For more information, please visit
www.abbott.com.

AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business
engaged in the research, development, manufacture and
marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of
healthcare services. It is one of the world's leading
pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of over $18.8
billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal,
oncology, cardiovascular, neuroscience and respiratory
products. In the United States, AstraZeneca is an $8.7
billion healthcare business with more than 11,000 employees.
AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index
(Global) as well as the FTSE4Good Index. For more
information, please visit www.astrazeneca.com.

Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global pharmaceutical and related
health care products company whose mission is to extend and
enhance human life. For more information, please visit
www.bms.com.

GlaxoSmithKline

GlaxoSmithKline, one of the world's leading research-based
pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, is committed to
improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do
more, feel better, and live longer. For more information,
please visit www.gsk.com.

Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies

Johnson & Johnson, with approximately 101,800 employees, is
the world's most comprehensive and broadly based
manufacturer of health care products, as well as a provider
of related services, for the consumer, pharmaceutical and
medical devices and diagnostics markets. The company is
committed to enhancing people's lives through products and
services across the entire healthcare spectrum. Johnson &
Johnson has 197 operating companies, including Ortho-McNeil
Pharmaceutical, Inc., Janssen Pharmaceutica Products L.P.,
and McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals. Its
operating companies are in 54 countries around the world,
selling products in more than 175 countries. For more
information, please visit www.jnj.com.

Janssen Pharmaceutica

Janssen Pharmaceutica Products, L.P. has a long track
record in developing and marketing treatments for central
nervous system disorders. Based in Titusville, N.J., its
other specialty areas include pain management, treatment of
fungal infections and therapy for gastrointestinal
conditions. More information on the company can be found at
www.janssen.com.

Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc.

Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc. markets prescription
drugs in the areas of women's health, infectious disease,
epilepsy, central nervous system, pain treatment, urology
and migraine. For more information, visit
www.ortho-mcneil.com.

Novartis

Novartis AG is a world leader in pharmaceuticals and
consumer health. In 2003, the Group's businesses achieved
sales of USD 24.9 billion and a net income of USD 5.0
billion. The Group invested approximately USD 3.8 billion in
R&D. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group
companies employ about 80,000 people and operate in over 140
countries around the world. For further information please
consult http://www.novartis.com.

Pfizer

Pfizer Inc. is a research-based pharmaceutical company
that discovers, develops, manufacturers and markets
innovative medicines for humans and animals. For over 30
years, Pfizer has been committed to providing patients in
need with simple and convenient access to prescription
medicines through a variety of Pfizer programs. Additional
information about Pfizer is available online at
http://www.pfizer.com. Information about access to our
medicines is available through our Pfizer Helpful Answers
website, www.pfizerhelpfulanswers.com.

sanofi-aventis Group

The sanofi-aventis Group is the world's third-largest
pharmaceutical company, ranking number one in Europe.
Backed by a world-class R&D organization, the sanofi-aventis
Group is developing leading positions in seven major
therapeutic areas: cardiovascular disease, thrombosis,
oncology, diabetes, central nervous system, internal
medicine, and vaccines. For more information, please visit
www.sanofi-aventis.com.

Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc.

Based in Lincolnshire, Ill., Takeda Pharmaceuticals North
America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Takeda
Pharmaceutical Company Limited, the largest pharmaceutical
company in Japan. In the United States, Takeda currently
markets oral diabetes and cholesterol lowering treatments,
and through the Takeda Global Research & Development Center,
Inc. the company has a robust pipeline with compounds in
development for diabetes, sleep, cardiovascular disease and
other conditions. Takeda is committed to striving toward
better health for individuals and progress in medicine by
developing superior pharmaceutical products. To learn more
about the company and its products, visit www.tpna.com.

TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc.

TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc., located in Lake Forest,
Ill., is a joint venture between Abbott, headquartered in
Abbott Park, Ill., and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company
Limited, of Osaka, Japan. TAP markets Prevacid®
(lansoprazole) and Lupron Depot® (leuprolide acetate for
depot suspension).

For more information about TAP Pharmaceutical Products
Inc., and its products, visit the company's Web site at
www.tap.com.

About ICT

ICT Group, Inc. is a leading global provider of customer
management and business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions,
will serve as the Program Administrator for the new Together
Rx Access program. Under the terms of the agreement, ICT
Group will provide customer service, data
capture/management, claims processing, Web and e-mail
management and member enrollment/fulfillment services, in
support of the Together Rx Access initiative. ICT Group
will be partnering with Argus Health Systems, Inc., for
claims processing support and Rapid Solutions Group to
provide fulfillment services.

ICT Group, headquartered in Newtown, Pa., provides a
comprehensive mix of customer care/retention, acquisition,
up-selling/cross-selling, technical support, market research
and database marketing as well as e-mail management,
co-browsing, data capture, claims processing and document
management services, using its global network of 40+
operations located throughout North America, Europe,
Australia, Barbados, Mexico and the Philippines. ICT Group
also provides interactive voice response (IVR) and advanced
speech recognition solutions as well as hosted Customer
Relationship Management (CRM) technologies. To learn more
about ICT Group, visit the Company's website at
www.ictgroup.com.

-- The original Together Rx, L.L.C companies are Abbott
Laboratories, AstraZeneca, sanofi-aventis, Bristol-Myers
Squibb Company, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson Family of
Companies(9), and Novartis.

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