Meijer Pharmacy has stopped offering two medications for free: type 2 diabetes drug metformin and cholesterol-lowering atorvastatin.

The Grand Rapids-based pharmacy with 245 outlets in the Midwest said it will continue to offer the most commonly prescribed antibiotics along with prenatal vitamins for no charge to all customers.

A spokesman for Meijer did not respond to questions about why the company decided to halt on Jan. 15 dispensing the two drugs for free, which saves customers hundreds of dollars each year in out-of-pocket costs compared with the same medication at other pharmacies.

Metformin is one of the most common oral drugs to control type 2 diabetes and works to reduce the amount of sugar released by the liver and improve how the body responds to insulin. Atorvastatin, the generic version of Lipitor, is a statin drug used to lower bad cholesterol (LDL and trigycerides) and fats in the blood and raise good cholesterol (HDL). The two drugs are often used in combination for diabetic patients.

The two drugs still are relatively inexpensive, with metformin costing as low as $10 per month for 30 pills and atorvastatin about $15 for 90 pills, according to the GoodRx website.

Michigan ranks 20th in the nation in the number of people with diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The top three states are West Virginia, Mississippi and Tennessee. Ohio ranks ninth.

Last summer, Meijer announced it had given away more than 50 million in free prescriptions worth $650 million through its 13-year-old Free Prescription Drug Program. In Michigan during 2018, Meijer provided 2.3 million free prescriptions, saving customers more than $28 million.

"This program allows us to provide families necessary medications that best manage their health," said Jason Beauch, vice president of Meijer Pharmacy, in a statement last summer. "We believe you can't put a price on wellness, so it's important for us to support local communities and do our part to help customers save on necessary medications and improve on their overall quality of life."

Meijer established the Free Prescription Drug Program to help lower health care costs for families by focusing on antibiotic medications most often filled for children, the company said. Through the years, as the costs of prescription drugs continued to rise, the program added other medications as well.

Founded in 1934, Meijer operates more than 245 supercenters throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin.