Aspiring Race Car Driver to Give Second Speech About Living with Cystic Fibrosis at Commercial Meeting

10.13.2004

(Jacksonville, Fla. Oct. 13, 2004) Aspiring race car driver Chris Fowler has been invited back to speak about living with cystic fibrosis (CF) at the 2004 Commercial Meeting of Chiron BioPharmaceuticals, a business unit of Chiron Corporation, October 11-13, 2004 in St. Louis, MI. The theme of the meeting is Raising the Intensity.

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 15-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 am especially excited to be asked back to speak again, Fowler said. Fowler who plans to race in the 2005 Star Mazda North American Championship Presented By Goodyear, has pledged to donate ten percent of his race winnings to the CF Foundation, headquartered in Bethesda, Md. Fowlers previous racing record includes four top-five finishes in the 2002-03 Skip Barber Formula Dodge Southern 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. CF Foundations Web site is www.cff.org