Meijer Inc. announces plan to offer free drug for type 2 diabetes

Sharon Hanks

Meijer Inc. announced this week it will offer the most commonly prescribed drug to treat Type 2 diabetes at no cost to those with a medical prescription. Its pharmacies at all 191 stores will dispense the generic immediate release tablets of metformin in doses of 500mg, 850mg and 1000mg, offering a relief to the exploding number of diabetics in America.

The out-of-pocket savings could be more than $40 a month, depending on the dosage required for each individual, according to Frank Guglielmi, director of public relations at the Grand Rapids-based supercenter retailer.

"We have a big focus on providing healthy solutions for our customers," says Guglielmi, noting this is the company's latest pharmacy freebie. "As we've amped up our health initiative, the free medication is a good fit. People really like things when they're free, there's no doubt about that."

More than 24 million American have diabetes, with Type 2 accounting for nearly 95 percent of the cases, according to the American Diabetes Association's estimates for 2007. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that if current lifestyles continue, one in three children born today will development diabetes in his or her lifetime

"When you read how dramatic this is, I think that's one of the reasons we'll get a lot of response to this program," Guglielmi says.

Diabetes is often called the silent disease because many people who have it show few or no symptoms. The body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore insulin. If it's not managed, diabetes can lead to serious complications, including blindness, heart attack, stroke, or foot or leg amputations.

The Michigan Department of Community Health estimated in 2007 that 927,200 adults or 12.2 percent of Michigan's total adult population had Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. It was ranked as the 6th leading cause of death for 2006, accounting for 2,823 deaths.

Metformin is the latest pharmacy no-cost program Meijer has introduced to its customers since the fall of 2006 when it began offering the seven most popular children's antibiotics for free. In spring of 2008, it began providing free pre-natal vitamins to women with a prescription. "We've seen tremendous response since we started the free medication programs," Guglielmi says, adding that the programs have provided a total savings to consumers of more than $90 million.

Sources: Frank Guglielmi, Meijer director of public relations, Grand Rapids; the Michigan Department of Community Health website, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, the American Diabetes Association website 

Sharon Hanks is innovations and jobs news editor at Rapid Growth Media. Please send story ideas and comments for the column to Sharon at [email protected]. She also is owner of The Write Words in Grand Rapids.