T3

[thedoghouse]

A warning to those of us who are lucky enough to be prescribed T3 - make sure that the pills you are given are actually in date. I opened a pot of T3 that was dispensed by Boots on the 22nd July this year and noticed that the use by date was the 10th August 2017. As the pills are supposed to last me a month they were out of date half way through. Boots cannot believe that this has happened, stringent checks etc by supplier and themselves, but it has happened and they are going to replace them. I have noticed also that the use by date is never very long after the dispensed date, only ever a few months at most. At nearly £400.00 a month I don't think this is good enough.

[shaws Administrator]

The tablets should have, at the very least, a few years left to expiry date.

[thedoghouse in reply to shaws]

I don't know how long the shelf life is, have always understood it to be two years but cannot remember where I got that from. I was so shocked that a company like Boots could let that slip through. I reported it to their head office and they are naturally rather embarrassed. They are investigating their supplier Unichem to find out why out of date tablets are being sent out. Boots interestingly told me that they have the option to refuse medicines that are close to their expiry date.

[shaws Administrator in reply to thedoghouse]

I have T3 - expiry 2020. So a decent life. Maybe the company was just getting rid of excess T3 that has never been requested due to the guidelines that T3 isn't of any use when we, the patients, know different.

[thedoghouse in reply to shaws]

I spoke to the pharmacist at Boots and she is adamant that the shelf life for Mercury T3 is only one year. I explained about the old pot from 2014 having a life of at least 18 months. She insisted that is was 12 months, I wonder if they have tightened up the regulations.

[EbonyEvans]

Hello what brand where they? Mercury Pharma? I've noticed a few posts on this forum with regards to problems. Have you reported it on the yellow card system?

I take UniPharma T3 due to it agreeing with me better, there's another form on the market if you can get a prescription. I'll find it and pm you.

[thedoghouse in reply to EbonyEvans]

Yes, it is Mercury Pharma. I thought theirs were the only brand allowed in the UK which is why the price is so high. Boots were very surprised when I informed them that T3 is available in parts of Europe for only 2 or 3 Euros.

[shaws Administrator in reply to thedoghouse]

Mercury was bought over/and over/and over and now Concordia is the owners who've shot the price up to £300 per pack! That's why the BTA have withdrawn prescriptions for it but have never had the capacity to think where they can source reasonably priced T3. I think the fact is they hate members requesting T3 even to add to T3 in order to relieve their clinical symptoms because they disbelieve us - that we feel a great improvement with T3 and free of symptoms..

[Madge72 in reply to thedoghouse]

Can you please PM me details. Having trouble getting t3 thanks

[look_at_the_big_picture]

Hi thedoghouse,

I've recently posted on here about issues with recent batches of Mercury Pharma Liothyronine - the NHS supplied one.

Mercury Pharma branded T3 is supposed to have a 1 year shelf life. In reality what has been supplied has not been anywhere near that for months. Actually in the past it has maybe been about 3 months tops. This year it barely covers my prescription or the prescription has to be split up. I've had increased hypo symptoms lately too.

If you have time you could have a read of my recent threads regarding NHS T3. Some other people have commented about having issues too.

I've yellow carded batches recently. Nobody seems to be in a rush to supply me with alternative pills. So I am stuck with these ones which make me fall asleep during the daytime/early evening. I do sleep at night and i think my adrenals are okay at the moment. I've fallen asleep in the past if my dose it too low.

[thedoghouse in reply to look_at_the_big_picture]

Thank you, I will. I have just found an empty Mercury Parma T3 container that was dispensed in December 2014 with a use by date 21st May 2016, one of the longest shelf life dates I have seen.

[Hennerton]

Ah but that was the good old days! .I have queried this endlessly with the pharmacy and with Mercury Pharma, or Concordia, or whoever they are at the moment but have got nowhere. I have just returned my prescription because what the pharmacy had given me was an October 17 use by date. They tell me that the warehouse only has this date. I previously have complained to my MP and the MHRA, who seem to do nothing worthwhile and I have no idea why they exist. You can see I am not a happy patient.

When I complained to the MHRA last year they assured me the shelf life is a year. I am now trying to speak to my GP practice and complain to them, for all the good it will do me.

[thedoghouse in reply to Hennerton]

I do so hope you will have some success, my pharmacy only have the October sell by date too, so by the time I finish the prescription I am taking now, the replacement ones will be out of date halfway through again.

[MacG in reply to Hennerton]

Hi Hennerton, I too was told about three weeks ago that the warehouse only had tablets with a use by of 4/10/17. My current prescription would have taken me beyond that date. I rang Concordia (not the first time) and was told that a batch dated 25/1/18 had now been released. Still, however, the warehouse was reporting that they only had tablets dated 4/10/17. After much foot stamping and my pharmacy ringing the supplier daily and finally asking to speak to someone more senior did we manage to get the 25/1/18 batch. I have in the meantime sent a long and detailed letter to the MHRA pointing out that the very short use by margin with which Concordia are releasing Liothyronine IS causing problems in the supply chain. I was very specific recounting dates/ dates of conversations with Concordia and what was said etc.

I received a response from the MHRA a couple of days ago. I wish I hadn' t bothered. On reading their response, I thought, these guys have no intention of looking into this. I intend to post their reponse in a separate post when I:

a) have a few spare minutes

b) have calmed down a bit!

On the subject of T3......

I am going to the NHS consultation in Leeds and at the moment the two questionsthat I particularly want to ask are as follows:

1) As the price of Liothyronine has been subject to "excessive price inflation" in the UK,why doesn' t the NHS buy it from abroad, where it IS sold for a fair and reasonable price?

2) I understand that Concordia, the sole manufacturers of Liothyronine in the UK, are currently under investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority. Please can you tell me what bearing the results of this investigation will have on the current move to withdraw Liothyronine? AND how and when will the CCGs make public their response to the result of the aforemetioned investigation in the light of their move to withdraw Liothyronine?

I may stop short of asking....

Please can you explain to me how has such a scandalous situation been allowed to develop whereby exessive price inflation by a drug company has lead to a proposal to withdraw a drug from patients?

Sorry, for the rant....Two days ago my GP told me that the powers that be have told her she must stop prescribing T3. She did, however, say that we could try and "lie low" until we are told that she must absolutely stop.

What a pickle!!!

[Pjgilroy]

I work for a Lloyds Pharmacy. Our T3 in June and July arrived to expire in October this year. We phoned our warehouse who said that's all the manufacturer was sending out. We gave it out but only after confirming with the 1 lucky patient who seems to be able to get a NHS T3 RX that s/he would use it all by then. The August bottles had a 2018 expiry date. Who knows what the manufacturer is playing at. Sorry, I don't remember the brand right this minute

[thedoghouse in reply to Pjgilroy]

This is the same story as my pharmacy in Plymouth. I am sure that the tablets will still be fine to take even if they are a few months past the shelf life date but that is not the point. Is your pharmacy able to supply other brands of T3? I know some places that will order other brands if asked.

[ThorpeBay24]

This happened to me too and nearly had serious consequences. Thankfully now sorted but I understood or was I being palmed off that it has a short shelf life as a matter of course as it is a live product? Anybody know if that is true?

[thedoghouse in reply to ThorpeBay24]

No, it is not true for all brands, only Mercury Pharma. I spoke to a pharmacist in the largest Boots branch in Plymouth and he has, on the shelf, T3 by Sigma Pharma with an expiry date of 2019. At least he had, it is not on the way to me!

[7jaie]

400£ a month. In south africa we pay way way less.

Sounds unreal to pay that much.

I was prescribed by my doc..

But cudnt take a whole one due to adrenal fatigue. And mercury in my brain. I take a quarter pill every other day.

There is no expiry date.

On mine.

But il ask my doc about that.

Thanks for the alert god bless u

[thedoghouse in reply to 7jaie]

Thank you for your kind wishes, do you need a prescription in SA? x

[hobbycat]

I have been able to get my T3 from Boots and for my early August prescription the expire date is early Oct 17. Boots said to take the tablets whilst it's in date - and then they will source more for me when I need them.

[thedoghouse in reply to hobbycat]

I do wonder where they will source them, this is beginning to sound like a nationwide problem.

[silverfox7]

Looks like MP are left with more than egg on their faces for hiking up the cost-serves them tight that the 'ban' now seems to be affecting them!

They are going to push 'old' stock as they want the money but looks like they are going to have to destroy a lot. Let's hope they don't repackage it to fool every one so get those yellow cards ready if potency starts to differ. Also keep an eye and may be a note of batch numbers.

[thedoghouse in reply to silverfox7]

The supplier that Boots use is Unichem, I do think there may be something in what you say.

[silverfox7]

Be watchful