Grocery chain to offer free antibiotics

A St. Louis grocery chain began offering a limited supply of many generic brands of antibiotics free to patients with a doctors' prescription.

Schnucks market on Monday launched a program to offer a 21-day supply of more than 54 generic antibiotics free of charge at any of its nearly 100 in-store pharmacies, the Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat reported Wednesday.

Michael Juergensmeyer, Schnucks vice president of pharmacy, said the program was a "long-term initiative" aimed at reducing consumer costs and bolstering more business.

"It's a great opportunity to extend our cost-reduction program," the News-Democrat quoted Juergensmeyer as saying.

The program includes such oral antibiotics as amoxicillin, erythromycin and penicillin. Juergensmeyer said the list might expand in the future.

Juergensmeyer told the News-Democrat the deal comes on the heels of similar programs in Florida and said he had phoned area doctors and hospitals asking them to recommend the program.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International