Publix Pharmacy Surpasses 50 Million Free Prescriptions Filled-and Growing

PRESS RELEASE

LAKELAND, Fla., April 23, 2015 — Publix pharmacies surpassed a milestone this month filling more than 50 million free prescriptions for customers in the past eight years.

The Publix Pharmacy launched its free antibiotic program in 2007 and has continued to make impactful enhancements to the program based on research and need.

According to the Centers for Disease, Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 29 million Americans have diabetes and it is one of the fastest growing diseases in America with an increase of nearly 12 percent in less than four years. Additionally, another 86 million people have pre-diabetes. And according to John Hopkins University, approximately 78 million U.S. adults have high blood pressure and an estimated 15 million have coronary heart disease. The Publix Pharmacy free prescription program speaks directly to these issues. Medications that Publix provides at no cost to customers include:

Amlodipine, used to treat high blood pressure and chest pain (angina)
Metformin, used to treat diabetes and
Lisinopril, used to prevent, treat, or improve symptoms of high blood pressure, certain heart conditions, diabetes, and certain chronic kidney conditions.

In addition, the following antibiotics are also included in Publix’s free prescriptions program:

amoxicillin
ampicillin
ciprofloxacin (excluding ciprofloxacin XR)
penicillin VK and
sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (SMZ-TMP)

“We’re thrilled to have helped so many customers with free antibiotic prescriptions, diabetes management and medication adherence as well as overcoming the financial barrier to taking their medications as prescribed,” said Maria Brous, director of media and community relations. “We’ve continued to enhance our free prescription program to allow our customers to focus on family health and achieving their wellness goals.”

New or current customers simply need to provide their Publix pharmacist with their prescription for one of the free medications, or have the prescription transferred, and it will be filled at no charge. Publix does not limit the number of prescriptions customers may fill for free. The Publix Pharmacy also encourages customers to take advantage of Sync Your Refills, a program introduced last year to assist customers with synchronization of their medications to be refilled on the same day of the month. With this program, customers are able to engage with their Publix pharmacist to discuss patient care activities, such as immunizations, medication changes, medication therapy management (MTM) consultations and medication adherence.

For more information regarding the free drug programs, please visit

www.publix.com/freemedications