Yes, the northeast supermarket\/pharmacy chain Stop & Shop will now offer antibiotics — for free.\u00a0<\/p>\n
(And\u00a0they are\u00a0not the first.\u00a0 Take a look at this\u00a0amazing advertisement<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Says Stop & Shop’s “consumer advisor” Andrea Astrachan<\/a>:<\/p>\n Stop & Shop pharmacies are committed to improving the health and wellness in our communities during the winter season when families are susceptible to coughs, and certain cold-related<\/em><\/strong> [emphasis most definitely\u00a0mine<\/em>] and bacteria-borne illnesses.\u00a0 As the provider of fresh, wholesome foods that help our customers stay healthy, we feel it is equally important to offer these free antibiotics to fight illness.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Fresh food linked with free antibiotics!\u00a0 What would Michal Pollan<\/a> say?\u00a0<\/p>\n And call me cynical, but could it be that someone looked at the profit margins on generic amoxicillin compared with, say, your typical cough\/cold remedy, and thought … “Hey, if we can get them here for our free antibiotics, maybe they’ll grab some NyQuil, and some Tylenol PM, and some Tenzaprine AQ …”<\/p>\n (I made “Tenzaprine AQ”\u00a0up.\u00a0 Not bad, eh?)<\/p>\n The list of free antibiotics is here<\/a> — not much of a surprise what’s included, as all are widely-used generics.\u00a0 (Sorry, no linezolid<\/a>.)\u00a0\u00a0And it\u00a0should be noted that\u00a0ciprofloxacin’s\u00a0stock seems to have fallen almost as far as Enron’s.<\/p>\n