On reading the following T3 shouldn't have been withdrawn

[shaws]

Just came across the following link:-

bbc.co.uk/news/health-42179765

excerpt and it is dated 30 November 2017

"NHS England received around 5,800 responses during its consultation on its proposals to restrict access to "low value" medicines.

But in a board paper, it said liothyronine should be available.

"The main recurring theme - particularly from patients and organisational bodies - is that this is an effective treatment which can, in appropriate circumstances contribute to patient wellbeing, quality of life and condition management."

A spokeswoman for the British Thyroid Foundation, which represents patients, welcomed the decision.

"We are pleased they have listened to the many patients and professional organisations who provided convincing information that there are thyroid patients for whom this medicine makes a huge difference.

"The uncertainty around this issue has caused confusion and distress and we hope that the guidance will lead to an improvement in care for patients with hypothyroidism."

But Simon Pearce, professor of endocrinology at Newcastle University and member of the Society for Endocrinology, said the decision was "preposterous".

He added: "Kicking liothyronine to secondary care isn't going to solve the problem.

"During 2016 there were 75,000 prescriptions for liothyronine in England. Assuming a prescription lasts for one month, that amounts to about 6,000 patients. Assuming 50% of them will complain and request referral to secondary care, that's an extra 3,000 new outpatient appointments.

[PiggySue]

I am convinced it was only the ridiculous hike in prices that caused it to be withdrawn. Yes, it works and they were happy to agree that until the price became unsustainable (although the associated costs with keeping us ill, ie PIP for those of us who became unable to work, treatment for diabetes for those of us who became seriously obese, through low metabolism and being unable to exercise etc. must be even more unsustainable, but don't come out of the same budgets).

[DippyDame in reply to PiggySue]

bbc.co.uk/news/health-38895877

"So if you have been put on T4 and it doesn't work, what about asking for a trial of T3?

(Prof Toft) Because it is so expensive your GP may well say no."

[MaisieGray]

shaws No not really. What was being referenced there, was the entirely bizarre inclusion of Liothyronine in the list of low cost treatments out for consultation, that were routinely prescribed by GPs, and which were readily available at far less cost than the NHS was paying for them, over the counter in pharmacies and supermarkets. To everyone else, it was plain that Liothyronine is not an everyday-prescribed drug, is not low cost, and is not available over the counter in the UK. So whether its inclusion was down to stupidity on the part of the authors of the list, or some clever tactics, who is to say. But obviously T3 was withdrawn from that list, resulting in the issuing of the NHS England & NHS Clinical Commissioners' "National Guidance Concerning T3" document, which has itself been subsequently but only slightly elucidated upon by the RMOC in its recent document "Guidance - Prescribing of Liothyronine" Nov 2018.

sps.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploa...