Confused about Liothyronine manufacturers, can anyone clear it up for me?

[kittenmittens]

Hello there,

Going on this information on the Thyroid UK website thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...

I was under the impression that the only brands of T3 you could get on NHS prescription in the UK were Mercury, Cytomel, and Perrigo (apart from the slow release and lactose free tablets). However, my latest Lio tablets are made by Sigma Pharm (edited, previously though they were from Sigma Pharmaeuticals which is a different company). So, how many brands are available in the UK?

Thanks for reading

[humanbean]

Sigma Pharmaceuticals are a wholesaler and distributor of medicines. They aren't a manufacturer.

[humanbean in reply to humanbean]

You should have been supplied with a patient information leaflet. Does that say who the manufacturer is? I really think it ought to.

[kittenmittens in reply to humanbean]

I foolishly discarded it as I hadn't realised they were a different brand (they cam in a brown pharmacy bottle). I phoned the pharmacy and they said they were made by Sigma, and there was a postcode. But that was all, perhaps i should call them back and ask them to look at the patient information leaflet for me.

[kittenmittens in reply to humanbean]

Ah, but they have the Sigma sign on one side, why would that be? Do you know how to find out who manufactured the Sigma tablets?

[humanbean in reply to kittenmittens]

There is an American liothyronine made by a company called Sigma-Aldrich. Perhaps the pharmacist or distributor ordered from there.

[kittenmittens in reply to humanbean]

I think Clutter has found them (the link below). They are called Sigma Pharm and seem to be a different company to Sigma Pharmaceuticals, my mistake.

[humanbean in reply to kittenmittens]

That was the site I found first. I obviously didn't read it carefully enough.

[kittenmittens in reply to humanbean]

No it was my mistake, it's very confusing, they are made by Sigma Pharm, but have the Sigma Pharmaceuticals logo on them (a Greek letter that looks like an E and I assume means Sigma), not the Sigma Pharm logo.

[Clutter]

Kittenmittens,

Sounds like your pharmacy has obtained an alternative generic Liothyronine to Mercury Pharma.

Sigma Pharmaceuticals develop, manufacture, market and distribute generic and branded medicines.

sigmapharm.com/sigmapharm-p...

[kittenmittens in reply to Clutter]

Sigma Pharmaceuticals thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...

and Sigma Pharm sigmapharm.com/sigmapharm-p...

seem to be different companies, am I right do you think?

The former being a distributer and wholesaler and the latter being a manufacturer?

[Clutter in reply to kittenmittens]

Kittenmittens,

I think they are likely to be different divisions of the same company. Perhaps you could check the company head offices and registration numbers.

[kittenmittens in reply to Clutter]

I phoned Sigma Pharmaceuticals and they are a different company, it's Sigma Pharm that my pills have been manufactured by. Very confusing!

However, I had thought that only Mercury, Cytomel, and Perrigo (apart from the slow release and lactose free tablets) were able to be prescribed in the UK, as those are the brands listed here

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...

Do you know if those are just a few examples and actually there are more brands that can be prescribed?

[Clutter in reply to kittenmittens]

Kittenmittens,

As you have been prescribed Sigma Liothyronine then it obviously can be prescribed. TUK information would have been correct at the time it was published. It requires updating to reflect that Teva Levothyroxine is now available and perhaps other Liothyronine.

[kittenmittens in reply to Clutter]

Ah, thanks Clutter