Today’s Times article

[Airmed]

Billy Kenber writes in today’s Times

[RedApple Administrator]

Online version is available, but you'll need to pay for a subscription to read the full article. thetimes.co.uk/edition/news...

[shaws Administrator]

Thanks for posting. It seems that the NHS are unable to source a reasonable priced T3 for their patients who need it. We should not have to source our essential hormones from anywhere other than the UK - by prescription. It is not patients fault that their body cannot function on levothyroxine.

[Hennerton]

Thanks for posting. I love the last sentence of the case study -" It is a niche product and difficult to manufacture". Funny that. I wonder how Sanofi in France manage to make this difficult, niche product for about 3 euros?

[Pixielula]

Yes and uni pharma for €1.15, and the reality is they must make a good profit on that!!!!

[Airmed]

I’ve just tweeted similar. Asked why Concordia said difficult to manufacture maybe should see how Sanofi-Aventis make it for a couple of Euros. Also sent to Sarah Wollaston MP, Lord Hunt, NHS England CCG, NHS England. and Bill of course.

In another tweet put this photo next to The Times article photo just to highlight a typical under treated Thyroidie.

The only reason it’s a niche product is because you can’t get it or very difficult to get on NHS

[Lje05]

Exactly what I felt when I read the article. The word 'niche' and phrase 'difficult to manufacture' annoyed me. So if it is so difficult to manufacture how do other countries manage to manufacture at a fraction of the price that Concordia make it for?

[Gcart]

What worries me is the promise of more of our taxes going into the NHS.

How will it be used? I can see the pharmaceutical companies rubbing their greasy hands together at the prospect of more chances to rip US off, because it is us!

We only take notice when it affects us personally but so much immoral, cheating behaviour by big companies etc . take us for fools!

[helvella Administrator]

If they could make Tertroxin at a reasonable price ten years ago, what has changed?

Is it more difficult to make it now than ten years ago?

Is it more expensive to make it now than it was ten years ago?

Is it that whereas they were getting away with supplying a poor quality product, now the MHRA has cracked the whip on quality, they are struggling?

Regardless how difficult it is to make, regardless the quality standards, Mercury Pharma (now as a part of Concordia) don’t make a thing. They contract out manufacture. Are they utterly inept at demanding that the contract to manufacture is adhered to? Could they not swap to a capable manufacturer?

Let us assume that Tertroxin was £12 and de-branded it went up £250.

Ten years ago, even if it were manufactured for nothing, Mercury Pharma could only make a maximum of £12 profit. At around £250, if they were still only making £12 profit, that would imply a cost of manufacture of around £238. Just how much would it cost them to import, say, Henning Thybon? Retail that is only around £30 for 100 tablets.

Why, I could hop in my car and go and collect it for less than that! Even if I only brought back about two packets per trip.

[Airmed]

Helvella have told Sarah Wollaston exactly that and Billy Kenber. In fact could knock this up in the garage! We all know they are just trying to justify the price. They have to sell share holders a line and because of the impending CMA outcome. I thought that outcome would be a foregone conclusion. Now not so sure. We are already aware that the judge has allowed Concordia to ring fence evidence from the CMA! Still think the serious Fraud Office should have carried out this investigation. But having said that we all know what happened in 2007, they got away with similar after slipping the NHS a bundle to the tune of 4 mil without admitting liability. HoL then stated no case to answer. I wonder how much they’d taken the NHS for that time round.

The other question is how do Morningside come to market with their product with such an impressive shelf life compared to Concordia’s. I rang and asked if they manufactured in house or were they buying from Sanofi or another Pharma company (loved to have been a fly on the wall😉) They confirmed in house. I’m not so sure. For example, I can remember one occasion when we were experiencing manufacturing difficulties, bought a competitors repackaged and sent out as ours. Sounds simple, nothing underhand the regulatory hoops jumped through would have been horrendous. Asked MHRA under FOI they wouldn’t tell me anything. If they are really making it theirselves as newbies on the block it makes Concordia look even more incompetent as you say. I used to be a Contract manufacturing manager for a big Pharma company, it just doesn’t sit well. In fact none of this Liothyronine saga makes sense to me at all. A 1950s low tech drug should be cheap as chips. Well we know that’s true anyway cos UniPharma are churning it out for just over a Euro and they will be making a profit. We also used to manufacture “compassionate” pharmaceuticals, low volume drugs that were being phased out because they had been superseded so could be considered a niche market. I know they didn’t turn much of a profit. Let’s not forget either Mercury were just pill pushers too investing very little if anything into new innovative products so no risk to them. All profit. Nice work if you can get it.