I noted from the recent Petition sitting transcript, it would appear there has been double standards applied when there was a shortage of T3

The health authority is happy to say it is OK to obtain the Licensed T3 ONLY from other countries when we are short here in the UK , have others understood this explanation , or am I getting the wrong end of the stick? I think the Petition Panel have also picked up upon this point too?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

If there is a UK shortage there seem to be two options. Allow unlicensed medicines to be offered. (Preferably ones which are licensed elsewhere so we have some faith in their quality.) Or not allow unlicensed medicines to be offered.

(There is, of course, another option so radical that it could not be countenanced. Abandon licensing. But there are several problems with that approach.)

Doctors are allowed to prescribe unlicensed medicines anyway. That those who make decisions may be unwilling to pay is a closely related but somewhat separate issue.

I for one would rather unlicensed medicines were offered than not. Though when supply issues are resolved, I would expect reversion to licensed medicines. Otherwise we are effectively contracting out our licensing processes to others. And whatever might be wrong with our system, it is at least ours and not imposed from abroad.

If the actual products that are licensed are not the ones people want, that is another issue.

Rod

[Hidden in reply to helvella]

A N was not impressive at the meeting , hes so transparent in my opinion - He minimalizes this serious health issue - Transcript below

scottish.parliament.uk/parl...

[Jubes]

I think that when companies have supply issues especially if its been sold abroad or if they are using raw ingredients for a new medicine launch thus creating a shortage ( generic firms seem to do this more) The NHS should be allowed to levy a charge back to companies. I just wonder how many Docs appointments, hospital referrals etc are caused by inadequate supply, and questions from patients not to mention treating new symptoms in Thyroid patients. The review on thyroid medicines also said they degrade really quickly if they are allowed to go above 25 degrees, our next supply has probably been sitting in a stuffy pharmacy in 30 degree heat, so by December will we back to our gps with symptoms, surely If the regulations were stricter on products with a narrow therapeutic index the knock on costs to nhs would be less. Sorry bit of a rant but it seems to make sense economically as well as health wise for us to be adequately treated. Imagine how many extra bloods have been done with brand change over!