Chris Fowler to speak at International Event for Chiron

2.10.2004

Aspiring Race Car Driver to Speak About Living with Cystic Fibrosis at International Event

(Jacksonville, Fla. Feb. 9, 2004) Aspiring race car driver Chris Fowler has been invited to speak about living with cystic fibrosis (CF) at the 2004 North American Commercial Meeting of Chiron BioPharmaceuticals, a business unit of Chiron Corporation, February 9-13, 2004. The theme of the meeting is The Power to Innovate, The Power to Heal, The Power of You, and The Power to Build a Better Future.

Fowler, who is 29, was diagnosed with CF when he was six months old. Chiron BioPharmaceuticals produces TOBI tobramycin solution for inhalation, which Fowler has used since the age of 23. TOBI is an inhaled antibiotic indicated for the management of CF patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a type of bacteria frequently found in the lungs of a person with CF.

Fowler will give a 20-minute presentation about living with CF and the ways in which TOBI has allowed him to lead a normal, healthy life and pursue his dreams, especially of becoming a professional race car driver.

I am honored to speak about my disease and to share my experiences with Chiron, and I appreciate the nurses and staff at the Pediatric Pulmonary Center at the University of Florida recommending me. I owe my life to this drug, Fowler said.

Fowler, who has joined Miami-based MAG Motorsports, has pledged to donate ten percent of his race winnings to the CF Foundation, headquartered in Bethesda, Md. MAG Motorsports Team Owner Michael Gallu has pledged to match that ten percent.

Fowlers previous racing record includes four top-five finishes in the 2002-03 Skip Barber Formula Dodge Southern Series. The team is pursuing sponsorships to race in both the 2004 Florida Sunbelt Series and the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division Southeast Series.

CF is a genetic disease that affects approximately 30,000 people in the United States. A defective gene causes the body to produce abnormally thick, sticky mucus that leads to chronic and life-threatening lung infections and impairs digestion.

Chris commitment to CF research and his drive for success in the professional racing arena are truly admirable. He is a unique individual that is determined not to let CF stand in the way of his dreams, said C. Richard Mattingly, chief operating officer of the CF Foundation. We appreciate Chris support as we strive to find better treatments and a cure for this disease. We know his example will be an inspiration to the many young people living with CF throughout the country.

Fowler has been invited by the SpaceCoast Chapter of the CF Foundation to speak at the chapters Single Greatest Night event April 9, 2004. He also will serve as honorary chairperson for the Jacksonville Chapter of the CF Foundations May 1, 2004, Great Strides Walk in Orange Park, Florida, and will speak at the chapters Shoot for the Cure event April 20, 2004.

More information about Fowler is available at www.fowlerracing.com. MAG Motorsports Web address is www.magmotorsports.com, and the CF Foundations Web site is www.cff.org