www.bodfeld-apotheke.de. HAS A NEWLY ... - Pernicious Anaemi...

Pernicious Anaemia Society

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www.bodfeld-apotheke.de. HAS A NEWLY - DESIGNED SITE , AND THE U.K. IS NO LONGER ON THEIR LIST OF COUNTRIES THAT THEY WILL DELIVER TO

wedgewood profile image
52 Replies

I was shocked to discover this . I just hope that it isn’t the shape of things to come with other German online pharmacies . It’s worrying .

A DAY LATER AND BODFELD HAS NOW ADDED “ GROSSBRITTANIEN “ (“ GREAT BRITAIN “) TO THEIR LIST OF COUNTRIES !! IT CAN NOW BE FOUND AS THE VERY LAST ENTRY, AT END OF THE LIST , NOT ALPHABETICALLY, ’ UNDER THE “Gs” —— I AM SO RELIEVED .

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wedgewood profile image
wedgewood
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52 Replies
Jillymo profile image
Jillymo

Me too else many of us will be in a serious health crisis and its a worry for us all. 😱

deniseinmilden profile image
deniseinmilden

Thank you for alerting us to this. I bought extra stocks from Versandapo the other day just in case it gets worse.

One can't help but wonder what else can stack up against us! I confess I didn't forsee the problems getting worse as time went on like this - I naively thought it would just be over the transition period following Brexit and then it would be OK.

Bother!

wedgewood profile image
wedgewood in reply todeniseinmilden

If the German online pharmacies strictly observe the German Pharmaceutical rules , none of them would supply U.K. with B12 ampoules . The rules forbid them to send any pharmaceutical item to a country where that item is a prescription only item . But in the case of Bodfeld , it doesn’t add up because Ireland is still on the list , and B12 ampoules are prescription only there also .But Ireland is an EU country . Don’t know if that makes a difference . Whatever , it is concerning .

I have been registered with Bodfeld for some time , and they seem to still deliver to me . Customers registered already look as though they are OK for deliveries .

deniseinmilden profile image
deniseinmilden in reply towedgewood

I'm glad it's still working for you and long may it continue.But it's a grim prospect, isn't it!

Wishing you as well as possible! x

wedgewood profile image
wedgewood in reply todeniseinmilden

Thanks ! 🤞🍀👍

ACritical profile image
ACritical in reply todeniseinmilden

I keep my Hydroxocobalamin ampullen in the fridge so they Can go past their sell -by date if necessary. So every time I use up a box I reorder.

deniseinmilden profile image
deniseinmilden in reply toACritical

That's an excellent idea.

Mine live in a cool cupboard and I do a similar thing - although I confess I usually order 6 months worth at a time. The lot I've recently ordered will be going out of date by the time I use them but that won't matter a jot to me - I know they'll be just as effective and safe - and at least it means I've always got plenty available for me for as long as possible. The most critical thing seems to be keeping them dark, and ideally cool.

SallyRees profile image
SallyRees

This is a huge worry, Wedgwood 😟 I just hope other German pharmacies don’t follow suit.

I tried to order from https Versandapo and as usual they were out of stock but I usually receive a email from them within a few days to let me know it’s back in stock and it’s been over a week now.

wedgewood profile image
wedgewood

And when you do hear that they are back in stock , it’s best to order immediately, because they can be out of stock again in a few hours .

Yes that’s longer than usual ! If we could no longer get ampoules from Germany , we would have to resort to powdered Methylcobalamin, which is obtainable in UK. But we know the risks involved with that .

Then there’s still a problem with saline . Well, I do know of one source in U.K. , should things get that bad .

Day trips to Germany ?

RoseFlowerDew profile image
RoseFlowerDew in reply towedgewood

I’ve always worried it would end up being journeys to Germany….a huge problem if Covid restrictions ever come back. Only in June the receptionist at my GP overturned hospital directions for 8 weekly injections and I have had to look after myself since. So I am really wondering how to cope. It seems PAS is trying to encourage Hydroxycobalamin manufacturing companies to apply for subcutaneous license in the hopes that one day OTC or GPs will allow self management but it feels a long way off.

Curious though what’s the issue with mythelcobalamin?

wedgewood profile image
wedgewood in reply toRoseFlowerDew

The issue is not with Methylcobalamin per se, but with POWDERED Methylcobalamin, which has to be reconstituted with saline , and you end up with a large multi dose vial . We are told the safest way to inject is by using single-use ampoules . Multi-use vials constitute a hazard because of the possibility of contamination . Also saline is also a prescription-only item in U.K. . But I do know of a U.K. source .

PS powdered Methylcobalamin can be sold legally in the U.K. !

EiCa profile image
EiCa in reply toRoseFlowerDew

I am wondering if I misunderstood this. A license for sub-cutaneous injection of hydroxycobalamin? I thought we had previously determined that this method is fine with hydroxy. In fact my PanPharma B12 depot says so on the box. I am asking because my GP is insisting I should be IM hydroxy. Is she right? Sorry. I have asked this before but the above post concerned me again.

wedgewood profile image
wedgewood in reply toEiCa

I believe it means that the medical authorities need to licence the sub-cutaneous method for administering B12 ( any B12 ) At the moment GPs are only licensed / authorised to inject B12 by the Intra-muscular method ( in the U.K. anyhow , Don’t know about USA . )

If the subcutaneous method was authorised/ licensed for injecting. b12 , then then perhaps GPs would encourage and help P.A. patients to self -inject ( as they do for patients who need to inject insulin . )

Subcutaneous method is considered less hazardous than I,M. The shorter needle is not so intimidating. . BUT at the moment B12 is only authorised /licensed for Intra-muscular injections .

But we all know that sub cut works perfectly .But this is not acknowledged by the medical authorities yet !

EiCa profile image
EiCa in reply towedgewood

Thanks Wedgewood. I appreciate the explanation and reassurance. When “going it alone” it is sometimes hard to see in the dark!

SallyRees profile image
SallyRees

I’m on high alert, waiting for the email. Day trip? 😂 Bringing my extra large (empty) suitcase 😅

My plan B is for my son to post from Australia. Damn! We need a law change 😏

Sleepybunny profile image
Sleepybunny

Shocked as well to read this, Wedgewood.

For others reading this thread,

There is currently a petition to get injectable B12 available over the counter in UK.

change.org/p/dr-june-raine-...

Tracy Witty has been campaigning on this issue for 8 years.

b12deficiency.info/blog/

wedgewood profile image
wedgewood in reply toSleepybunny

Yes I’ve signed . Thaks for putting it up again . There will be people who have missed it . Wouldn’t that just be wonderful to get our ampoules OTC?

Lunario profile image
Lunario

I'm sorry to hear that and hope this will help in the meantime. I am crossing my fingers that Tracy's petition will be heard, and hopefully, you will be able to get your B12 ampules OTC in the UK soon.

In the meantime, maybe apotheke.de is an alternative. I checked their website, the UK is still on the list of countries they ship to (apotheke.de/liefer-und-vers.... Shipping is a bit expensive, but what the heck?

I found this list on a Dutch website. It seems that many Dutch companies run a German online pharmacy:

aanbiedersmedicijnen.nl/aan...

Just try them out and see if one or the other also ships to the UK. There are so many, there must be some alternatives that have been overlooked, even Austrian and Polish pharmacies are on this list.

Good Luck!🍀

jade_s profile image
jade_s in reply toLunario

The one thing I learned from wedgewood is that having a country on the list doesn't mean they will ship there. One way to know for sure is to try and register, and see if your country shows up in the registration form. And, even that is no guarantee. mycare.de will ship most things to the US, but no longer B12. So it's getting really difficult to even know if a company will ship somewhere! :(

jade_s profile image
jade_s in reply toLunario

apotheke.de -- only EU countries listed if you try to register :(

Lunario profile image
Lunario in reply tojade_s

It's a shame that getting B12 is a problem for so many of us. Getting something you need for life shouldn't be such a mess. Especially if it is a vitamin.

deniseinmilden profile image
deniseinmilden in reply toLunario

Superb, thank you!

Lunario profile image
Lunario in reply todeniseinmilden

I'm sure your reply was meant for jade_s, wasn't it?

deniseinmilden profile image
deniseinmilden in reply toLunario

My comment could equally apply to most of the contributions here, especially Jade but it was meant for you!

Lunario profile image
Lunario in reply todeniseinmilden

Thank you.😊

Lunario profile image
Lunario

Another page that might be of interest:

expatinfoholland.nl/service...

I think it could be an advantage not to rely solely on German pharmacies, but also to look for sources in other European countries.

Diversification, so to speak.

Lunario profile image
Lunario

I think I was too optimistic about finding alternatives to German online pharmacies.

Dutch is quite similar to German, so I searched a few of the above websites, since I can often translate with an approximately similar word in German when reading. I could not find any injectable form of B12 😥.

No Dutch members here in the forum who could help?

helvella profile image
helvella in reply toLunario

As far as I can see, there are two single-dose injectable hydroxocobalamin products:

RVG 02471 Hydrocobamine 1000 microgram, oplossing voor injectie 1000 microgram/2 ml B03BA03 - Hydroxocobalamin HYDROXOCOBALAMINEHYDROCHLORIDE

RVG 50830 Hydroxocobalamine HCl CF 0,5 mg/ml, oplossing voor injectie B03BA03 - Hydroxocobalamin HYDROXOCOBALAMINEHYDROCHLORIDE

geneesmiddeleninformatieban...

(Autotranslation:

RVG 02471 Hydrocobamine 1000 micrograms, solution for injection 1000 micrograms/2 ml B03BA03 - Hydroxocobalamin HYDROXOCOBALAMINE HYDROCHLORIDE

RVG 50830 Hydroxocobalamin HCl CF 0.5 mg/ml, solution for injection B03BA03 - Hydroxocobalamin HYDROXOCOBALAMINE HYDROCHLORIDE)

And one single-dose injectable cyanocobalamin product:

RVG 50822 Cyanocobalamine CF 1 mg/ml, injectievloeistof B03BA01 - Cyanocobalamin CYANOCOBALAMINE

geneesmiddeleninformatieban...

(Autotranslation:

RVG 50822 Cyanocobalamin CF 1 mg/ml, injection solution B03BA01 - Cyanocobalamin CYANOCOBALAMINE)

As for where to obtain it, I have no idea!

Lunario profile image
Lunario in reply tohelvella

This is prescription only, how disappointing. And I thought it was available OTC in the Netherlands. So, this was obviously a dead-end road. I would have so loved to spread a little hope.

helvella profile image
helvella in reply toLunario

I have a list with a large number of the official medicine sites around the world.

It might help in locating anywhere that they are available without prescription (even if you only look at European sites).

dropbox.com/s/5mx04cp7ze4ub...

This link is not permanent!

jade_s profile image
jade_s in reply tohelvella

I found the below links when I was trying to find Dutch sites. These are not links to pharmacies but I think the government's medication registry. I was not able to find any online pharmacies shipping outside the netherlands. (I can speak dutch so if you have websites you find, please let me know  Lunario ! )

fyi I am keeping the supplies document up-to-date whenever I see posts here.

These are extracted from the supplies document. I think these numbers match yours helvella.

For cyano, the government registry only lists Centrafarm Cyanocobalamine CF 1 mg/ml, says it’s prescription-only db.cbg-meb.nl/ords/f?p=111:....

• There also appears to be the following two hydroxo products but they’re currently sold out online and some websites say it’s only by prescription.

o HYDROXOCOBALAMINE 1mg/2mL by Centrafarm Bv db.cbg-meb.nl/ords/f?p=111:...

o HYDROXOCOBALAMINE 1mg/2mL by Takeda Nederland Bv db.cbg-meb.nl/ords/f?p=111:...

BUT I did find one Belgian pharmacy that says they will ship to the UK. They have standard CYANO 1mg/1ml and a high-dose Hydroxo 10mg/2ml. pharmabox.be. I ordered some hydroxo from them without issues (within Belgium) .

I also tried to scour French sites. I don't speak French but used translate apps. From what I can tell, only the Cyano form is available (OTC). They appear to be available in many online pharmacies, but I don’t know if they ship to other countries.

Greece has hydroxo but I haven't attempted to find any online pharmacies.

helvella profile image
helvella

Just an hour ago I placed a non-B12 order here: versandapo.de

(They were out of stock of at least one B12 ampoule product but I didn't take much notice as it wasn't what I was buying.)

wedgewood profile image
wedgewood in reply tohelvella

Yes , versandapo still supply U.K.🤞🤞🤞

EiCa profile image
EiCa

indeed worrying. I sure wish the expiration date hadn’t changed from 2 years to one year. I am hesitant to “stock up” now (because of this shortened expiry date) before this policy spreads to other German pharmacies. Here in the US a prescription is required but I have not had any difficulty getting it twice from a German pharmacy.

ForViolet profile image
ForViolet in reply toEiCa

This is good news. Please, which german pharmacy did you use?

EiCa profile image
EiCa in reply toForViolet

apotheke-marienbrunn.de

Good luck. Ordered from the US. Received in 3 weeks. October 2022. great service and communication.

ForViolet profile image
ForViolet in reply toEiCa

Thank you so much for info.

ForViolet profile image
ForViolet in reply toForViolet

Well, with VAT it came to 70,80 and about 40 for the med + tax alone... I did enjoy making out the german language.

At first the total was an encouraging 39. Then the shock came.

Just a note for others in the US. Guess I'll have to stick with the preservatives they include here. Does anybody else think this is a reasonable price to pay? Do you all pay this much for your B12 ?

EiCa profile image
EiCa in reply toForViolet

how many ampoules did you buy? Last month I bought 30 ampoules and paid $70 but $40 was for shipping. I have been unable to source single vial ampoules in US without a prescription at an affordable price so I am happy with is price. I was getting pre-filled syringes prior to ordering from Germany and paid $15/injection so comparatively, $70 for 30 injections is super cheap.

ForViolet profile image
ForViolet in reply toEiCa

Thanks. Ok I see need to order more.

jade_s profile image
jade_s in reply toForViolet

I don't remember having to pay lots of extra VAT when I ordered to the US. Just the standard costs plus $35 shipping (at the time). I think currently the prices are around 8 to 10 euro per box of 10 ampoules.

That's why it makes sense to order large amounts and frustrating that the expiration dates are only 1 year out, as opposed to 18 to 24 months as it used to be, at least for Panpharma.

ForViolet profile image
ForViolet in reply tojade_s

I was hesitant to make a bigger order. Thinking maybe they'd have preservatives in them after all..

EiCa profile image
EiCa in reply toForViolet

I looked up the inactive ingredients in PanPharma’s hydroxy. They are sodium chloride, sodium acetate, acetic acid and water. This seems similar to other brands I have had in the past. I think the bigger vials, with 30 ml likely have more preservatives. I, like you, look for the smallest amounts of inactive ingredients in everything. It can all affect absorption.

ForViolet profile image
ForViolet in reply tojade_s

This time no VAT showed and I made an order. Thank you.

jade_s profile image
jade_s in reply toForViolet

You can also try shop.apotal.de/ shipping to the US according to the website is 30 euro and a box of 10 panpharma depot (hydroxy) is 8.13 euro right now. shop.apotal.de/vitamin-b12-...

WWWJAN profile image
WWWJAN

I'm registered with Bodfeld and placed an order mid Oct, I received order within 7 days....I'm keeping my fingers crossed I can continue to place orders with them because I've been registered with them for over 18mths and my address is already in their system.

wedgewood profile image
wedgewood in reply toWWWJAN

Yes as you are registered and already in the system , you are OK . That’s great !

Contralto profile image
Contralto

Thank you for this!

Sammiegirl profile image
Sammiegirl

the German translation for United Kingdom is Vereinigtes Konigreich

wedgewood profile image
wedgewood in reply toSammiegirl

Yes , I know( lived there for 20 years ) They have tagged it on after Vatican and use “Großbritannien “ not Vereinigtes Königreich . But now on this new site , they have put the country first on the address page , which makes everything easier than having it at the end . It’s imperative to enter country FIRST , before postal code , street or town , so that the rest of the address will be accepted . This has caused confusion in the past ! Best wishes !

valley16 profile image
valley16

So glad to see your edit that it is now on!

But i still get worried. I bought some more a few weeks ago, and the date is Nov 2023, which is the same expiry as ones i bought 4 months ago.

Ironically ones i bought in March had Feb 2024 as their expiry date.

My problem is i now have enough to last me through til Nov 2023, so i can't do more orders for maybe 6 months so that the expiry date in the online stores finally moves into 2024. I worry if i order any sooner than that they'll just send me ones that run out in Nov 23.

But i stress that not ordering for 6 months will mean in 6 months time there's no online places left that ship to the UK!!

Parody103mg profile image
Parody103mg

From my understanding I think this is due to the UK postal strike rather than them not delivering to UK - so presently on hold. Clearly they don't want B12 lingering around for longer than it has to and causing a decline in it's efficiency if stuck somewhere for longer than needs to be for prompt delivery.

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