Short "use by" on Mercury Pharma Liothyronine not acceptable at £9.22 a tablet. A postscript!

[MacG]

Posted here on 21/6/17 about ongoing problems with short "use by" on Mercury Pharma liothyronine. I had telephoned Mercury Pharma that day to be told that stock with a use by of 10/8/17 had now been "blocked". On Tuesday of this week (18/7/17) I called at the pharmacy to pick up my latest prescription of 84 tablets. The pharmacist came out to say that my prescription wasn't ready as the stock they had just received was nearly out of date - 10/8/17 no less! So, they were sending it back. At least my pharmacist is not palming me off with old stock!

Needless to say, I fully intend to take this matter further

[FuturistFi]

I had exactly the same problem. I am suspicious that they are about to put the price up again. Time for me to switch to the NDT I think.

[MacG in reply to FuturistFi]

Thank you for getting in touch. I wonder just how many of us are being affected by this. Presumably everyone on Mercury Pharma Liothyronine!

At the support group meeting the other evening someone mentioned that they had taken Liothyronine past its "use by" date but noticed that it had become very crumbly. Problem is that makes it even more difficult to split into the 10mcg doses that a lot of us take anyway.

[Hennerton]

I mentioned recently on this forum that I complained to the MHRA last year regarding this issue but got absolutely nowhere,. I believe it is actually not an independent "watchdog" but has many links with Big Pharma. I have also written to my MP and he has taken it up with the great and good in parliament but no word so far. I have been away from home for several weeks, so I hope I may have a letter awaiting me. Dream on!

I was recently told by the Ministry of Health in a long letter of feeble excuses regarding Liothyronine costs that the NHS has special ways of buying branded and generic drugs. I have queried this with my MP but assume that they get branded drugs at special prices and pay over the top for generics such as Liothyronine.

I can get 30 tablets of Cynomel in France with a two year "use by" date for a few euros and have also pointed this out to my MP. We shall see....

[MacG in reply to Hennerton]

Many thanks for passing on this information. Knowledge is power! When I spoke to Mercury Pharma I was told that Liothyronine had a 12-month shelf life.

[humanbean in reply to Hennerton]

I believe it is actually not an independent "watchdog" but has many links with Big Pharma.

MHRA is partly funded by Big Pharma.

The MHRA is funded by the Department of Health for the regulation of medical devices, whilst the costs of medicines regulation is met through fees from the pharmaceutical industry.[3] This has led to suggestions by some MPs that the MHRA is too reliant on industry, and so not fully independent.[4]

Source : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medic...

[Hennerton]

Thanks. Just as I suspected.