The Larry King Cardiac Foundation Receives $100,000 Grant from Lilly to Support 'Save a Heart a Day'
11 February 2005 - 12:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
The Larry King Cardiac Foundation Receives $100,000 Grant from
Lilly to Support 'Save a Heart a Day' Needy patients also will have
access to medication through Lilly patient assistance program
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Larry King
Cardiac Foundation (LKCF) announces a new partnership with Eli
Lilly and Company to help combat heart disease. In support of the
Foundation's ambitious goal to "save a heart a day," Lilly has
committed to a $100,000 grant as well as donation of the vital
anti-thrombotic medication, ReoPro(R) (abciximab) through Lilly's
patient assistance program, Lilly Cares.* This effort greatly
enhances the Foundation's efforts to provide life- saving cardiac
care for those who cannot afford it. Many of those individuals
might not be alive today without the help of the foundation or they
would be facing large medical bills. "I was fortunate enough to
have medical insurance cover my heart surgery and procedures," said
Larry King, founder of The Larry King Cardiac Foundation and
internationally renowned host of CNN's "Larry King Live." "Heart
disease takes the lives of 500,000 men and women annually in the
United States. This funding and cardiac medication from Lilly is a
big step in helping us save a heart a day." The anti-thrombotic,
ReoPro(R), is the Foundation's first donation of medication. During
angioplasty procedures to open blockages in arteries that supply
blood to the heart, ReoPro(R) is used to help prevent formation of
blood clots in the heart and help diminish clots that already have
formed. LKCF provides cardiac care and resources through affiliate
partners for individuals who, due to limited means and inadequate
insurance, would otherwise be unable to receive treatment. The
Foundation works in conjunction with hospitals throughout the
nation to ensure that such patients receive proper medical
attention. "Lilly is pleased to be the first company to provide
product to the Larry King Cardiac Foundation. This donation is part
of our overall worldwide efforts to help indigent patients have
access to medications that save and improve lives," said Dr. Hunter
Heath, executive director, U.S. Medical Division, Lilly. "It is
particularly appropriate that we donate the cardiovascular drug
ReoPro, which has helped save lives for 10 years now.
Cardiovascular disease is a leading killer today, and we are
dedicated to working to improve the lives of people who suffer from
this devastating disease." Under the partnership, Lilly will work
with medical centers participating in the LKCF affiliate care
program to provide product to eligible patients through the Lilly
Cares prescription assistance program. These hospitals include:
Children's National Medical Center and George Washington University
Medical Center, both in Washington, D.C.; Cedars-Sinai Medical
Center and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, both in Los Angeles;
Weill Cornell Medical Center and New York Presbyterian Hospital, in
New York. ReoPro was developed by Centocor of Malvern, Pa., USA,
and is manufactured by Centocor, B.V., in Leiden, the Netherlands.
Eli Lilly and Company markets and distributes the product worldwide
except in Japan. For more information regarding The Larry King
Cardiac Foundation, please go to http://www.lkcf.org/ . Contact
Linda Roth at . For more information on Lilly, please contact
Janice Chavers at . *Eligible patients will receive product at no
cost through the Lilly Cares program. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050209/LKCLOGO )
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050209/LKCLOGO DATASOURCE:
The Larry King Cardiac Foundation CONTACT: Linda Roth of The Larry
King Cardiac Foundation, , +1-703-522-0703, http://www.lkcf.org/
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