RxAmerica to team with ADAP to help HIV-positive Utahns

PR Newswire - October 26, 2004 - SALT LAKE CITY - The AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) of Utah announced it has chosen RxAmerica to manage its prescription benefit services. The HIV Treatment & Care Program is a federally funded drug assistance program, administered by the Utah Department of Health. The group accepted a multi-year agreement with RxAmerica because they were impressed with RxAmerica's ability to improve plan administration. RxAmerica will help ADAP manage their prescription drug program, with an emphasis on quality care, expanded services and cost control.

"RxAmerica is proud to be administering the prescription benefit program for ADAP of Utah," said RxAmerica's President John Gardynik. "This program provides many HIV-positive residents of Utah the life-prolonging drugs they might otherwise not be able to afford. We look forward to working with ADAP of Utah and are determined to help assure economical access to these vital medications."

RxAmerica's easy-to-use online administration tool, expertise in managing prescription drug costs, along with its local market experience and hometown account management team, contributed to RxAmerica winning ADAP of Utah's business. RxAmerica's corporate headquarters is located in Salt Lake City.

"ADAP of Utah's partnership with RxAmerica offers us the opportunity to help Utah residents who are infected with HIV," said Brook Boggess, Corporate Sales Director. "Treatment for individuals who suffer from AIDS can be tremendously expensive. RxAmerica's goals are to assist ADAP of Utah deliver exceptional service to its covered members and help the program control costs in order to maximize the number of individuals they can serve."

About RxAmerica - RxAmerica is a leading Pharmacy Benefits Manager that specializes in controlling costs, creating customized solutions and delivering unbeatable service for its clients. RxAmerica has partnered with many large and small managed care providers to create a new trend in the industry-lowering prescription costs in a consistently inflationary environment. With its powerful online reporting tool, RxInsider™, RxAmerica delivers innovative and targeted programs that improve the health of members while lowering costs for health plans.

For more information on RxAmerica, call 1-800-770-8014 or visit RxAmerica's Web site at www.rxamerica.com.

Nationally, RxAmerica provides prescription benefits for more than five million individuals through a retail network of more than 53,000 pharmacies and a state-of-the-art mail order facility. RxAmerica is a wholly owned subsidiary of Longs Drug Stores Corporation (NYSE - symbol LDG), one of the most recognized drug store chains on the West Coast and in Hawaii. Information on Longs Drugs is available at www.longs.com

About AIDS Drug Assistance Program of Utah - ADAP of Utah provides life-saving drugs for low-income residents of Utah who are HIV-positive and have no other health insurance or Medicaid. Individuals have to make less than 400% of the Federal Poverty Level to qualify for assistance. Approximately 350 individuals currently participate in the program. With the availability of effective treatment, these individuals infected with HIV are living longer and healthier lives. The program is entirely federally funded under the Ryan White CARE Act.

For more information on ADAP of Utah, call Jennifer Brown at (801) 538-6096.