AmeriCares Receives Donation of Antibiotics Valued at $50 Million from Purdue Pharma

Largest Single Donation in AmeriCares History

Stamford, CT, December 22 2004 – AmeriCares announced today that it will receive a donation of more than 500,000 bottles of the antibiotic Spectracef from Purdue Pharma L.P.—enough to treat approximately one million patients. This is the largest single donation in the international humanitarian aid agency’s 22-year history.

Spectracef is used to treat certain types of bronchitis and pneumonia, tonsillitis, pharyngitis and some skin infections. The Stamford, Connecticut pharmaceutical company’s donation, valued at $50 million, can be used to treat between 500,000 and 1,500,000 patients, depending upon the illness. AmeriCares plans to use the bulk of the donation in its worldwide medical relief efforts, in countries such as Nicaragua and Guatemala, where respiratory diseases are rampant. In many of the developing countries where AmeriCares works, supplies of antibiotics are extremely limited and a drug such as Spectracef can literally save lives. The donation will also be used in the AmeriCares Free Clinics located in Bridgeport, Norwalk and Danbury, Connecticut, which treat more than 500 cases of infections each year.

“I want to commend both AmeriCares and Purdue Pharma for their continued, longstanding partnership to improving the health and well-being of millions of people worldwide. Purdue Pharma’s unprecedented donation to AmeriCares will provide hundreds of thousands of people, some of whom reside right here in Connecticut, with access to antibiotics critical to saving lives and to helping people who need it most recover from plaguing respiratory illnesses,” said Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell.

“We have an ongoing need for antibiotics for our disaster relief and long-term medical assistance programs,” said AmeriCares President and CEO Curt Welling. “We rely on the generosity of corporate partners to aid in these efforts and are truly appreciative of Purdue Pharma’s donation, which will give us the resources to help treat more than one million people around the world who might otherwise not have access to this medicine.”

This contribution builds upon a long-standing relationship between Purdue Pharma and AmeriCares; since 1986, Purdue has been donating medicines to AmeriCares to aid in its international relief efforts.

Stamford’s Mayor Dannel Malloy noted, “We proudly call Stamford ‘The City that Works.’ In this case, two Stamford institutions— Purdue Pharma and AmeriCares—are working together to improve healthcare in Connecticut and in poor areas around the world. Especially during the holiday season, it delights me that the generosity of the Stamford community will make such a difference in the world.”

More information about Purdue Pharma L.P. is available at purduepharma.com.