Two regional supermarkets have announced they will offer antibiotic drugs free of charge to their customers. The Orlando office of U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) on Monday notified the Cedar Key Chamber of Commerce of the plans. Lisa Marshall, Sen. Nelson`s Constituent Advocate/Regional Director stated Publix and Winn-Dixie both would offer 14-day supplies of generic antibiotics at no cost to their customers. The antibiotics include amoxicillin, ampicillin, cephalexin, ciprofloxacin (excluding ciprofloxacin XR), erythromycin (excluding Ery-Tab), penicillin VK and sulfamethoxazone/trimethoprim (SMZ-TMP). The listed drugs are available free for anyone with a prescription. No insurance is needed, and there is no limit to the number of prescriptions that can be filled free-of-charge. Publix`s program states the deal applies to 14-day supplies, but the company said it is willing to honor a valid prescription refill if necessary. Winn-Dixie`s statement said prescriptions would be filled in minutes, not hours. Unfortunately, for those people who are allergic to the listed drugs, there are no substitutes available for free. For more information on the programs of Publix and Winn-Dixie, consumers should contact the pharmacists at the stores in their areas. | 