Now that the exorbitant cost of T3 tablets has swum up into public consciousness, one has to wonder at lack of curiosity as to why uniquely in this country, the cost is as high as it is. 25 miles away from Dover, the cost suddenly drops in the rest of Europe and yet there are no systems for procuring it there through NHS channels. Its not as if the quality of T3 is lower - so why are there no mechanisms for proper competition Europe-wide (Brexiteers cover your eyes)? The only explanation is that the NHS has become an immovable monster of non-response to events, hidebound in procedure and immune to change from "the rules". My daughter has reason to deal with certain parts of the NHS management, and she continually amuses me (if that is the right word) about the ability of NHS management to talk long and say nothing, and act vigorously and achieve nothing. There are always too many voices with different agendas. So in this atmosphere there is no wonder that absurd rules are stuck with regardless of any logic that demonstrates their absurdity - given the intellectual calibre or lack of it that NHS management so often shows. Better to talk long and loud and run about showing your valuable presence rather than actually achieving a goal.
No logic in the UK supply of T3: Now that the... - Thyroid UK
No logic in the UK supply of T3
And then they wonder why the NHS cannot manage its budgets, OK theres more to it than that but surely when costs balloon someone looks to its reasons.
As my stressed out post on Saturday night at 10.30pm showed, I commenced working as a volunteer for a "very famous" charity - simply in my local shop. I am now "old and retired", not interested in climbing any ladder, it was only to get out of the house at weekends. Five weeks in, and I am appalled at the politics, the in-fighting, back-biting, lack of work done, meetings, et al. I knew this happened when I worked at a regional office of a large house builder, in "the largest law office in Birmingham", and a variety of other industries. It has dawned on me now, that arrogant, jealous, self serving, bullying, people who want back handers and their hands in the money pot are to blame. It is obviously no different within the NHS.
I used to work in the voluntary sector (before I became too ill, that is) and charities are as prone to these behaviours as any other organisation. Possibly more so - the charitable aims of an organisation can serve as useful cover for nefarious personal and professional agendas.
Public sector is notorious for office politics and personal agendas. It also seems ot have the highest number of unhappy staff - the larger the public sector office; the more demotivated the staff - I've trained most government departments and loads of local councils.
So well said. My local GP practice has applied to its CCG to close the surgery in our village (There has been a GP presence in the village 'forever' - 3000 patients, no public transport to alternative site). It has been extremely unedifying to grapple with NHS contracts, CCG structure etc to try to prevent this happening and clearly the problem goes from the very top to the very bottom.
Concordia have justified the price which they say is needed to ensure a consistent supply here in the UK. Ha Ha, what a load of b..s...!
They may have, in this instance, been just a tad too greedy as the pressure is on to stop prescribing it and so their cash cow will have to be put on gardening leave.
The NHS has eventually responded to this situation by denying patients this medication setting health as their lowest priority. Not something we should be proud of here in the UK.
One of my daughters once had a boyfriend who worked in the NHS Buying Dept in Birmingham. His stories amused me even before I was more aware 😴 Budgets had to be spent before the year end and so several wards had replacement beds even though they were not needed - and the old ones - who knows ?? - sent to Africa I believe 😊
Indeed, there is a feeling within government departments that if you hand back any of your budget at the end of the financial year it may be deemed that your budget was too high and that next year your budget would be light by whatever you handed back. Its a shame that departments cannot bank surplus cash for when they need it, instead of spending money on stuff you do not need.
It makes a farce of the government’s free market policies, which only apply to certain conditions when it suits their bankster & business chums.
Concordia state that they had to increase their prices in order to keep the quality up. They buy Liothyronine from Custom Pharma in Brighton according to the notes in my own NHS Liothyronine. I did write to Custom Pharma but they were non verbal. No doubt Custom Pharma buys its stock in from Thailand or Mexico........
I think the Brighton company actually makes the stuff. (Can anyone confirm?)
If only they did import the Mexican (Grossman) T3; quality would be much higher.
Patient Information Leaflet is quite clear about this:
Marketing Authorisation Holder:
Mercury Pharma Group Ltd.,
No. 1 Croydon,
12-16 Addiscombe Road,
Croydon CR0 0XT, UK
Manufacturer:
Custom Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Conway
Street, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 3LW
medicines.org.uk/emc/medici...
But surely Custom Pharma in Brighton must have to import the raw ingredient(s) from abroad?
Who knows?
So far as I am aware, we have zero information on the source of the liothyronine ingredient in most products - where it comes from or anything else. The exceptions might be companies known to produce liothyronine both as a raw ingredient and as a finished pharmaceutical product. Seems unlikely they would buy from outside what they make themselves.
Agree.
Mercury Pharma T3 has been absolutely rubbish.
It's always such old stock too, right on sell by date too. So two years old. No blister pack either
Morningside Healthcare is no cheaper but at least it seems to work
Diogenes,
I don't know whether the NHS, DoH or MHRA are the party in charge of legislation whereby when a drug patent expires the manufacturer can debrand the medicine, redesignate it as generic and charge as much as they like when they are a sole supplier without competition to regulate the price. It's not just Liothyronine affected. Hydrocortisone and other essential drugs have also had massive price increases. The loophole needs to be plugged, and soon, as it is so enthusiastically exploited by sole supplier manufacturers.
I don't currently need it but looked at the cost of hydrocortisone from where I used to buy it from and the price had doubled from what I paid a few years back when I did need it.
Yesterday I read in the comments section of the BBC webpage for the story stating the cost paid for a white board for the pharmacy. It was shocking.
The NHS seems to have a rule that they have to wait for pharmaceutical companies to apply for a licence to sell in the UK. A management consultant friend thought that was likely to be the result of lobbying by the companies- it certainly seems to work in their favour. I think we should be lobbying the NHS to change that rule, so they can approach companies who sell drugs more cheaply.
Rich and risible jargon flies about at any meeting attended by NHS managers. My husband attended an obesity 'partnership' forum yesterday as an advisor on a peripheral matter. Utterance of the day: We need to forge a robust obesity pathway going forward.
That made me laugh Hillwoman . The house building industry go off to mega posh hotels to have a meeting about an upcoming meeting !
Even worse! 
Ah, so we need a wide, sturdy path so the fat guys can push their way through to the bar ... makes sense.
Strange how the NHS managed its Budgets when the additional layer of Managers wasn't in place? (Yes, I'm old enough to recall that!) LOL ...
Sadly, too true 😟 And apparently with all these layers of 'independence' and bureaucracy, they've lost the art of communication too. Do they ever even try to speak with each other? It's a total farce. 😡
Part of the problem, of no one questioning the hiked price, is who is ultimately responsible? Seems to me there are too many departments and all too quick to shift questions and blame on to the next department.
Today when I collected my monthly prescription I thought they had not given me any liothyronine because there was no little brown bottle. However, it was there, just a different make - Morningside Healthcare in different packaging - so of course I immediately came on here to try and find out what is going on. I thought Concordia were the only manufacturers of t3 and this is why they are able to hold the NHS to ransom.
Is this t3 any good and is it cheaper for the NHS to buy? I get so angry when I hear about the drug companies ripping of the NHS, but then surely it is the fault of the NHS buyers who simply seem to take the attitude that it is public money so why bother to shop around. As this drug is so cheap in the rest of Europe, why can't they source it from there?
I was meant to see my endo last Thursday, but had to cancel as I wasn't very well. Next appointment date is 19th April unless they get any cancellations. Perhaps I was lucky and this will give me a stay of execution
Pharma have very long arms- and are not in the least bothered by NHS structures or behaviour.I see other threads on here about T3 world wide supply now being much more difficult ie: Mexico, Greece etc., than previously.
The noose tightens..
stranglehold of the manufacture of t3 by concordia
The battle isn't over on T3
T3 fight the good fight
T3 in UK
How can the NHS justify the cost of T3!!!
