Giant Eagle offers generic prescription antibiotics for free at its in-store pharmacies

At a time when many families affected by a difficult economy are struggling with the costs of prescription medications, supermarket retailer Giant Eagle, Inc. is making ten broadly used generic prescription antibiotics in 46 common dosages available for free every day at all of its 210 in-store pharmacies. The major consumer wellness initiative begins today, Thursday, September 3, with a 10:15 AM kickoff press event at Giant Eagle's Legacy Village supermarket located at 25105 Cedar Road in Lyndhurst, Oh.

"The Giant Eagle Pharmacy is committed to improving the health and wellness of our communities, especially during the back-to-school season when children and families begin to move indoors and become more susceptible to bacteria-related illness," said Vice President of Pharmacy for Giant Eagle Randy Heiser. "This new free antibiotic program is expected to result in $4.6 million in annual cost savings for our customers, helping children and adults alike obtain these important antibiotics."

The program is an extension of Giant Eagle's ongoing price reduction efforts and builds upon the company's successful $4 generic prescription medication program that delivers an additional $64 million in annual customer savings. The prescription antibiotics available under the program with a valid prescription are:

Common infections that these free antibiotics treat range from strep throat, ear infections and conjunctivitis to bladder infections, pneumonia, acne, urinary tract and skin infections. Some of the antibiotics are also used as a means to prevent infections caused by certain dental procedures.

Joining Giant Eagle in this announcement is University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital pediatrician, Dr. Ethan Leonard. "Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital is proud to help Giant Eagle announce this important program," said Dr. Leonard. "Although careful hand washing is the best way to prevent getting many infections, antibiotics are an important weapon in helping the body to rid itself of bacterial disease." Dr. Leonard adds that the best person to determine if antibiotics are an appropriate course of action is your primary care physician or healthcare provider.

While antibiotics are not effective on viruses like common colds or the flu, Giant Eagle offers a full range of national and TopCare brand products that can help alleviate the symptoms of these conditions in adults. Following on Giant Eagle's commitment to affordable healthcare, high quality TopCare products are priced aggressively and promise the same effectiveness as the national brands.

Heiser concludes, "With so many families experiencing some level of economic hardship, medical professionals worry that prescriptions go unfilled because patients simply can't afford them. As consumers navigate challenging times, we are continuing to support them through our price reduction efforts that have lowered prices on thousands of offerings throughout our store."

Since November 2004, Giant Eagle has delivered approximately $218 million in lowered everyday prices on meat and chicken, grocery items and generic and over the counter medications, with plans to continue these price reductions efforts in the future. The company also provides savings through its popular promotional programs such as fuelperks!, weekly specials and double coupons.