The Duane Reade pharmacy chain recently angered DC 37 members and retirees by telling them their business was not welcome. But DC 37 and Express Scripts Inc., which manages the union’s drug benefit, beat back Duane Reade’s decision. The benefit provides over $100 million annually in medications.

Apparently, the drug chain was upset because it has lost business since the union’s Health and Security Plan made the ESI mail-order program mandatory for maintenance drugs. Participants make substantial savings by getting long-term treatment medicines through the mail program.

In a letter, Duane Reade warned its DC 37 customers that it would stop filling their prescriptions after Oct. 15. In response, Express Scripts threatened to end its contract with Duane Reade. The contract brings business from several other drug plans administered by ESI to Duane Reade.

Boycott vote
On Oct. 13, the DC 37 Executive Board called for a boycott of Duane Reade unless the dispute was resolved. Later in the week, Duane Reade wrote ESI to indicate that it would back off its plan to no longer honor the DC 37 prescription drug benefit.