SYRACUSE -- If you need an antibiotic, your prescription won't cost you a penny at one area grocery store. Starting Wednesday, Wegmans will not charge for nine generic oral antibiotic prescriptions.

The offer is available to customers and employees with a prescription and a shoppers club card. It will last through the end of the cough and cold season on March 31. Wegmans says it's their way to give back. "The Wegmans family wanted to make this commitment, absorb the cost of these medications to help consumers, to help our employees, to help customers and their families during hard economic times," said Andrew Felter, Wegmans Pharmacy Operations Manager.

The program covers up to a 14 day supply of the drugs listed below.

Amoxicillin
Cephalexin
Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim
Ciprofloxacin (excluding Ciprofloxacin XR)
Penicillin VK
Ampicillin
Tetracycline
Erythromycin Stearate and Ethylsuccinate
Doxycycline Hyclate (capsules) 

There are no limits on the number of prescriptions that can be filled and it includes both new prescriptions and refills.

"A few months ago we began to lower prices on hundreds of food products in anticipation of lower costs in 2009," says President Colleen Wegman. "There's been such a tremendous response, it triggered discussion about other ways we could help customers and employees save."

"We understand the economic pressures families are facing, including the rising cost of health care, which is something I'm especially concerned about," says CEO Danny Wegman. "We hope this program will help families better cope with those expenses."

Wegmans estimates that the program has the potential to save its customers (across all market areas) approximately $1 million.