Erfa Thyroid - Source: But not source as you are... - Thyroid UK

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Erfa Thyroid - Source

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator
16 Replies

But not source as you are probably thinking as in where to buy it!

Rather, where does the desiccated thyroid come from? The tablets are now manufactured in Spain (I believe) despite it being widely thought to be a Canadian product.

Does anyone know which company produces the pigs, and the desiccated thyroid powder? Strikes me it is something that we should know.

I have a few inklings of an idea, but I don't want to say anything and by so doing, influence any answers!

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helvella profile image
helvella
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16 Replies

No idea, but I agree with you 100%...! I never understood why (according to STTM) Erfa was a Canadian brand; yet, was manufactured in Belgium until a couple of years ago when, apparently, production was moved to Spain...and, after that, patients started to complain, causing STTM to speculate about a possible reformulation ("Armour curse"?!), even though the company denied it...but that does not answer the obvious question: how can a Canadian brand be manufactured in two European countries...?! Because the raw material (pigs' thyroid) is readily available in Europe, as opposed to North America, or because manufacturing costs are lower in Europe, or what...?!

But I agree, patients need to find out not only where the drug is made, but also from what raw material...!

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply to

Though Erfa was a European compay which owned Erfa Canada 2012 Inc. Not at all sure of the history which resulted in that.

More recent events may be marginally clearer:

bepharbel.com/

Don't expect too much though!

meeasm profile image
meeasm in reply to

Erfa Canada 2012 Inc. ( eci2012.net/ ) head office is located in Montréal, QC, Canada and is a subsidiary of ERFA SA whose corporate headquarters is in Brussels, Belgium. The prescription medication known as 'Erfa Thyroid' is probably considered a Canadian product on this side of the Atlantic purely because it's the one and ONLY form of NDT that Health Canada will allow us Canucks to have in Canada.

BadHare profile image
BadHare

If the company that makes Erfa is a multinational pharmaceutical company, they probably pick one plant to make the world's supply, rather than one in each continent.

I'm guessing the pig thyroids come from the nearest abbatoir? :(

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toBadHare

In the USA, as I understand, one company makes all the Thyroid USP (actual desiccated thyroid powder) which is then supplied to the makers of NP Thyroid/Acella, WP Thyroid, Nature-Throid and Armour.

(This does not absolutely mean the powder supplied to each maker is identical. One may choose lactose as a diluent, another sucrose (sugar). I simply do not know.)

[ Update 21/02/2018 Since my originally posting this, RLC, makers of Nature-Throid and WP Thyroid, have changed over to their own source of desiccated thyroid - Thyroid USP. ]

honeybear1 profile image
honeybear1 in reply tohelvella

Sucrose is an artificial sweetener not sugar, and while nobody wants to overdo it on sugar artificial sweeteners are the real nasties and many can increase the risk of autoimmune disease by up to 40% , the devils work in my opinion (and I’m a avid atheist , still the best way to describe them though☠️😈☠️).

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply tohoneybear1

Are you sure that sucrose is an artifical sweetener?

Sucrose is common table sugar. It is a disaccharide, a molecule composed of the two monosaccharides, glucose and fructose. Sucrose is produced naturally in plants, from which table sugar is refined.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucrose

honeybear1 profile image
honeybear1 in reply tohelvella

Sorry 😬 your right, I was thinking of sucralose (gonna try an blaim that 1 on fibro fog).

BadHare profile image
BadHare

The substrate of the pills might be different, according to manufacturer, but I've no idea about the poor piggies bits. Isn't there some legislation about removal to prevent it getting into the food supply?

I'm surprised nobody's come up with hypo-burgers or hypo-sausages, since these are often made from unwanted parts.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toBadHare

Over four years ago I posted this:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

:-)

BadHare profile image
BadHare in reply tohelvella

Yeuck! Yeuck! Yeuck!

But wondering if any hypo people got better?

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toBadHare

Could be a highly transient improvement but I suspect the enormous variability would make any dosing unlikely to be right. Even slice by slice could change...

There are quite a few reports of "hamburger thyrotoxicosis" as well.

BadHare profile image
BadHare in reply tohelvella

Do any people deliberately eat animal thyroid for curative purpose, aside from NDT?

honeybear1 profile image
honeybear1 in reply toBadHare

Back in the early 1900s hypo suffers ate animal thyroid glands, one lady who ate 2 sheeps thyroids a day lived into her 90s.

honeybear1 profile image
honeybear1 in reply tohoneybear1

Oh yeh forgot to mention that they usually fried them first👅yum😃...!

Treepie profile image
Treepie

Did you notice the tabloid report yesterday that pigs were being injected with a hormone from the jugular of badly treated horses on the Continent to ensure the birth of more piglets.Pork is cheap meat but at what cost?

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