May 3, 2002

The MGH is teaming up with the ALS Therapy Alliance, CVS/ pharmacy and Boston Red Sox player Nomar Garciaparra's foundation, the Nomar 5 Fund, to raise research funds for Lou Gehrig's Disease. The disease, also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS, is a fatal neuromuscular disease characterized by progressive death of motor nerves resulting in muscle weakness and paralysis.

This fundraising partnership features an in-store promotion at more than 550 CVS/pharmacy locations throughout New England. The promotion will run from April 28 to June 15. With every $1 donation to the cause, store patrons will have the chance to win one of 14 prizes.

The money raised from this promotion will provide funding for ALS research being conducted by physicians and researchers participating in the ALS Therapy Alliance. The Alliance is a non-profit organization consisting of clinicians and researchers from the MGH, BWH, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Robert Brown, MD, director of the MGH Day Neuromuscular Research Center, has been working closely with Alan Abraham, director of the Alliance, to launch this fundraising campaign.

"ALS is such a devastating, rare disorder," says Brown. "Because it affects a small population, it has not received major funding for research. The Alliance was formed to find ways to raise the money and resources needed to fund new research initiatives."

For more information about the campaign, call Pam Yosh at (617) 726-5750.