Meijer Prescription Program Marks $500M Milestone
Meijer pharmacies marked a major milestone recently when its free prescription program surpassed $500 million in savings for customers. The program – the first of its kind when launched in October 2006 – has since filled nearly 40 million free prescriptions.
“Meijer is a family-owned company committed to meeting the needs of families in the communities we serve,” said Jason Beauch, VP of pharmacy merchandising for the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer. “We do this by providing positive solutions to everyday problems, which includes access to necessary medications. We are pleased this program is used by so many families across the Midwest.”
Meijer’s free prescription program began by covering leading oral generic antibiotics, with a special focus on the prescriptions 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 the generic substitute for Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium), the cholesterol-lowering medication, in 2012.
The most popular free prescription filled at Meijer has been the generic cholesterol-lowering medication. In 2016, Meijer pharmacy customers filled more than 3.2 million atorvastatin calcium prescriptions, followed by more than 1.4 million metformin prescriptions, more than 1.3 million antibiotics and more than 480,000 free prenatal vitamin prescriptions.
In addition to the free prescription program, the Meijer mPerks pharmacy rewards program gave pharmacy customers more than $13 million in rewards to spend at Meijer last year.
“We’re proud that we’ve helped millions of families improve their health and wellbeing without impacting their budgets,” said Meijer President/CEO Rick Keyes. “Providing these solutions for the customers who rely on our pharmacies is part of our commitment to the communities we serve.”
Meijer operates 230 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin.