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Publix offers free antibiotics

• A Florida-based grocer's new antibiotics program is likely welcome news to Georgians, an estimated 1.5 million of whom are uninsured.

Barbara Rivera Holmes

FREE ANTIBIOTICS Up to 14-day supplies of these popular, generic antibiotics are offered free to new and current pharmacy customers at Publix Super Markets regardless of customers’ insurance provider. amoxicillin cephalexin sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (SMZ-TMP) ciprofloxacin (excluding ciprofloxacin XR) penicillin ampicillin erythromycin (excluding Ery-Tab) Source: Publix Super Markets

ALBANY — Publix Super Markets is the latest private-sector industry to take part in trend that’s giving many Americans a helping hand through specialized prescription-drug programs.

Already, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. offers a $4 drug program and Sears Holding Group-owned Kmart has a list of 300 drugs for which a 90-day supply of each costs $15.

But the Lakeland, Fla.-based grocery store giant took that generosity to the next level when it announced Monday that seven popular antibiotics will be available for free to new and current pharmacy customers.

Fourteen-day supplies of the antibiotics — amoxicillin; cephalexin; sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (SMZ-TMP); ciprofloxacin (excluding ciprofloxacin XR); penicillin; ampicillin; and erythromycin (excluding Ery-Tab) — are available at the company’s 684 pharmacies, spread throughout Georgia, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Dwaine Stevens, media and community relations manager for parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, said there’s no timeline for the program.

“The success of the program is based on its (reception),” Stevens said Wednesday afternoon during a brief phone interview.

Prescriptions will be filled at no charge and there isn’t limit on how many free orders customers may fill, Stevens said, as long as they present a valid prescription.

And, antibiotics are free regardless of insurance.

“One of the unique qualities of this program is that it opens access to individuals who are underinsured or have no insurance at all,” he said.

That’s welcomed news to the estimated 1.5 million uninsured Georgians.

In Albany, word of the program has spread slowly.

A Publix pharmacy representative said Wednesday afternoon that just one prescription for the free antibiotics had been filled.

Publix CEO Charlie Jenkins Jr. said that while growing his pharmacy business is part of the motivation behind the program, the move isn’t all profit driven.

“We want to help the citizens ... to have affordable health care, and we thought this was just a good start in doing that,” Jenkins was quoted saying in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Citing proprietary reasons, Stevens wouldn’t say how much the program could cost employee-owned Publix nor how many pharmacy customers it has.

He did, however, note that the idea isn’t a Publix original.

In October 2006, Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Meijer Inc. announced it would provide the same seven antibiotics for free to pharmacy customers at its 176 supercenter stores in the Midwest.

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