Meijer is ringing in the new year by marking a major milestone.
The retailer announced that its free prescription program has hit 30 million prescriptions dispensed – 6 million alone in 2015 – since October 2006 when the program launched.
"Meijer is a family-owned company committed to meeting the needs of other families," said Nat Love, VP of pharmacy for the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based retailer. "We do this by providing positive solutions to everyday problems, which includes access to necessary medications. We began our free prescription program with that in mind, and are pleased that so many families across the Midwest continue to find it valuable."
The retailer's free prescription program began in 2006 by covering leading oral generic antibiotics, with a special focus on the prescription most often filled for children. The program expanded over the years by offering free prenatal vitamins in May 2008; metformin, the most commonly-prescribed drug for type 2 diabetes, in 2010; and atorvastatin calcium, the generic substitute for Lipitor, the cholesterol-lowering medication, in 2012, Love said.
The most popular free prescription filled at Meijer in 2015 was atorvastatin calcium with 3 million this year, saving customers $37.7 million, followed by:
Metformin with 1.4 million prescriptions and a $10.6 million cost-savings to customers;
Antibiotics with 1.3 million prescriptions and a $10 million cost-savings; and
Prenatal vitamins with 540,000 prescriptions and an $11 million cost-savings.
Meijer operates 223 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin.