HARRISBURG -- Pennsylvanians can now save on prescription drugs -- and even pet medications -- with a discount drug program that will help pharmaceutical companies sell off overstock.

The discount program is available at no cost to all Pennsylvanians regardless of age, health or insurance coverage. Any resident can download a free membership card from www.padrugcard.com or pick one up at many pharmacies including CVS, Walmart, Kmart and Target.

The program is run by United Networks of America, a managed care company that collects a fee from pharmaceutical companies every time a card is used. Pennsylvania is the 22nd state where the company has launched a prescription drug discount program.

"There are 800,000 uninsured Pennsylvanians, and this is a way for those people to access discounts of up to 75 percent," said Thomas J. Shaw, director of the Pennsylvania-based program with offices in Malvern. "We have people who don't take medication as prescribed. They take it only every other day so they can stretch it out ... and then it's ineffective."

The program can also be used by people with prescription drug insurance programs that exclude coverage of certain medications.

While consumers may find some deals, pharmaceutical companies benefit from moving medication off the shelves, said William H. Gutchess, the program's developer of pharmacy business.

Still, using the card doesn't guarantee getting the lowest prices, so it pays to shop around. For example, the program's discounted price for a month's supply of 10 milligram pills of the antidepressant Lexapro is $88.57 using the card.

Without the discount, the charge would be $106.99 at Rite Aid on Fifth Avenue in Pittsburgh. It's available for even less at Drugstore.com, which charges $85.80.

Meanwhile, thirty 250-milligram penicillin tablets cost $8.93 through the discount program versus $12.99 at Drugstore.com and $14.99 at Rite Aid.

Thirty 1-milligram tablets of anti-seizure medication Clonazepam costs $18.07 with the card but just $5.90 at a Costco warehouse club, where consumers can use the pharmacy without having to buy a membership.

For more information, visit www.padrugcard.com.