U Share Drug Discount Card Gets Strong Endorsement: Savings of 50 Percent Makes a Difference to...

MINNEAPOLIS -- Jerry Markie, a resident of Maplewood, Minn., has been retired for about nine years from a manufacturing representative position he held for 25 years. He and his wife Doris had been without prescription drug coverage for as long as they could remember before they signed up for the

"We're saving like $350 a month," Markie said recently at a town hall meeting in Blaine, Minn. "If we didn't have the card, we'd be paying that out of pocket. Well, that amounts to $4,200 a year." UnitedHealth Group believes that Mr. Markie's positive story mirrors the savings experience of U Share cardholders across the country.

The U Share drug discount card is available nationwide to Medicare beneficiaries and offers substantial savings on all brand-name and generic drugs that are approved under the Medicare drug discount card program. Since its launch this spring, the discount card has created an average savings per prescription of 50 percent off standard retail prices. Individuals with incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty level may qualify for even deeper discounts. The pharmaceutical companies participating in the U Share drug discount program include AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Company, Janssen Pharmaceutica Products, L.P. and Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc., and Pfizer.

"We set out to help our nation's Medicare beneficiaries, and this card is doing just that," said Craig Stephens, the chief operating officer for the U Share program. "Not only are we delivering low prices on prescription drugs, but recently the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) selected U Share as one of the Medicare-approved drug discount cards for lower income beneficiaries on Medicare and Medicaid."

The savings made available by the drug discount card are significant. U Share cardholder Brian Kirston of Florida said of the program, "U Share has certainly helped me financially. All I pay now is $15 for a prescription that would normally cost over $200. U Share is doing a wonderful thing for people like me."

For more information about the U Share prescription discount card, call 1-800-707-3914 (TTY 1-866-234-4138) or visit the coalition website at www.usharerx.com.

The U Share(TM) Prescription Drug Discount Card Coalition

AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies. AstraZeneca provides innovative, effective medicines designed to fight disease in important areas of medical need, including cancer, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, infection, neuroscience and respiratory illness. The company is active worldwide with sales in over 100 countries, manufacturing in 20 and major research centers in seven. You can contact AstraZeneca at http://www.astrazeneca.com.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers - through medicines and information - for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Additional information about Lilly is available at www.lilly.com.

Johnson & Johnson U.S. Pharmaceutical Operating Companies (NYSE:JNJ) (Janssen Pharmaceutica Products, L.P. and Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc.), with approximately 109,100 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. Johnson & Johnson has more than 200 operating companies in 57 countries, selling products throughout the world. Additional information about Johnson & Johnson is available at www.jnj.com.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) 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 patient assistance programs. Additional information about Pfizer is available online at http://www.pfizer.com.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) is a diversified Fortune 100 company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., that provides a broad spectrum of resources and services to help people achieve improved health and well-being through all stages of life. UnitedHealth Group offers products and services through six operating businesses: UnitedHealthcare, Ovations, AmeriChoice, Uniprise, Specialized Care Services and Ingenix. Through its family of businesses, UnitedHealth Group serves approximately 55 million individuals nationwide. Its Internet address is www.unitedhealthgroup.com.