Obtaining Thyron Henning Post-Brexit

[Apollo_Creed]

For those of you who procure T3 from European pharmacies using a valid UK prescription, have you considered if those pharmacies will be willing and able to continue filling the prescriptions? We're potentially about to crash out of the EU within months. A three month supply of T3 here in the UK is now about £500-£700 compared with €30 when obtained from Europe.

[helvella Administrator]

The issue has been discussed here. It can be difficult to discuss properly without becoming somewhat political even when that is not intended.

I cannot see the EU Cross-border prescription rules remaining in place post brexit - of whatever sort. However, I might be being unduly pessimistic. I have not seen the issue mentioned except places like here and where I have brought up the topic.

I am not at all clear on whether the existing rules would apply during any post-brexit transition period if we do not leave without any deal. At the moment, I suspect that they will become invalid on 29/03/2019 but might be refused some time before.

[MaisieGray]

I think that people who source their T3 that way, including me, have done little else but wonder about those implications not least because some German pharmacies have already jumped the gun in advance of Brexit and stopped dispensing to the UK. If we are out of the EU there will be no obligation for EU pharmacies to dispense against a UK prescription, so I doubt if it will be a question of are any willing to do so. UK T3 would probably cost upwards of £700 for 3 months (84 tablets) supply, I doubt you'd get it for £500. However it is currently possible to have Thybon Henning dispensed against a private prescription for just over £200 for the same amount, which whilst more than 30 Euros, is far better than the price for UK brands.

[helvella Administrator in reply to MaisieGray]

I don't know if it will continue to be practicable for NHS pharmacies to import medicines only licensed within the EU such as Henning Thybon. We in the UK would have to accept the EU's licensing regime for it to continue to be as straightforward as it currently is.

The £200 cost might well change.

A little bit of evidence that things really are changing is reported here:

Key EU medicines regulator closes London office with loss of 900 jobs

European Medicines Agency heads for Amsterdam 63 days before Brexit

theguardian.com/politics/20...

[MaisieGray in reply to helvella]

Yes I was thinking "currently" when I typed that, so don't know why I missed it out - but have edited to clarify that.

[Kitten44 in reply to helvella]

Well, my hope in that case would be that just like cost is currently driving the non prescription of T3, if the cost of EU licensed drugs rockets, for the sake of finding cheaper alternatives a) NICE and the NHS, DoH will open up to accepting drugs manufactured in other countries across the globe, and b) that would result in getting say, Cynomel from Mexico, NDT from the U.S. or even Thailand and so on....

[helvella Administrator in reply to Kitten44]

We can, of course, hope but I am very doubtful.

With both Cynomel and the Thai products, we have seen too many supply issues to really want the NHS to rely on them. Indeed, we have seen enough issues with the USA desiccated thyroid and T3 products, let alone further afield.

[Kitten44 in reply to helvella]

True, and it is definitely more hope than expectation.

Nevertheless, the point is if currently the UK is bound to just prescribe drugs licensed by the EU, being free to look elsewhere may well open up other supply routes and a wider variety of products.

Conversely, many European patients are unable to import NDT or T3 from abroad as it is confiscated by customs due to them not being allowed in those countries (such as Italy and Spain). So, to play devil's advocate, further harmonisation in European policies may be detrimental in the long run if we end up that way.

[helvella Administrator in reply to Kitten44]

It isn't an EU rule that says we are limited to EU products. It is that the UK doesn't recognise the licensing regimes in most of the world. We just about accept the USA, when we need to.

Therefore we have to go through the whole process of deciding where to look and checking their regimes before making changes.

There have been enough difficulties with UK-licensed products that are manufactured abroad - one example being Wockhardt's factories in India.

[milupa]

Dear Appollo_Creed -

Non EU prescriptions cannot be filled by EU pharmacies, the laws are quite clear.

As copy of the prescription has to be held on file for years to come in case of random checks, which is one reason German pharmacies have stopped accepting UK prescriptions recently.

I have found one online pharmacy, however, that still accepts UK private prescriptions and has a license to sell to almost anywhere in the world. The delivery cost and time would be higher from April: parcelmed.de

One member (that I know of) has used them and confirmed that service was good and quick.

Something else I keep mentioning: Private prescriptions can be for up to one years' supply!

[helvella Administrator in reply to milupa]

I think it is a little less clear and simple than that. Their site says:

We do not ship to overseas territories and provinces of European Union states, to Austria, Turkey, Russia and the United States of America (USA)!

parcelmed.de/versandkosten....

Don't know why not Austria despite being an EU member. But they DO sell to Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Norway - who are not members.

I can't see anything that suggests they sell to anywhere else in the world.

[milupa in reply to helvella]

Dear helvella -

There are regional agreements between, for example, Germany and Austria or Belgium and the Netherlands that protect/support local trades/businesses or ease cross border employment etc; I assume that is why they don't sell to Austria. They deliver to EU affiliated countries for €15.

And for €30 they offer 'Versand ausserhalb der EU und des Europäischen Wirtschaftsraums' i e Delivery to non EU countries (at the bottom of the page you linked to).

When I spoke to them they assured me that, unless and until specific UK-EU agreements are in place, they will continue to ship to the UK but at the higher cost.

(I see that they mention non-prescription items only for non EU countries. I will call them tomorrow to double check and edit my reply).

Alternatively:

German doctors cannot prescribe without an initial person to person consultation, but the laws regulating follow up consultations on-line are changing this year. I think visiting a T3 friendly GP in Germany for private prescriptions might be a solution for some?

[helvella Administrator in reply to milupa]

Yes - I missed a bit lower down on the page.

Please do get the non-EU bit checked for prescription-only medicines.

[milupa in reply to helvella]

Dear helvella - sorry about the delay, but I have now spent a few hours calling around online pharmacies in Germany.

The ones listed on the ThyroidUK website don't respond to emails and did not want to discuss UK private prescriptions.

The parcelmed employee confirms that they will continue to supply to the UK.

They cannot say yet how much the delivery costs will be because DHL doesn't know yet. What will happen at customs is anyone's guess.

They also strongly suggest to get a prescription for a year's supply soon. She had just filled a prescription from Portugal for three years worth of medication!

They insist there is no shortage of T3.

I still think finding a T3 friendly GP within the EU and hopping over to the Continent once a year is a good plan...

Anything I can do from here (Berlin) - let me know!

[milupa in reply to milupa]

Hello helvella and everyone who follows this thread:

Having just spoken to parcelmed again for another member I have now been told that they will now NOT fill UK prescriptions from the end of March.

I hope it is ok to write the following:

Everybody I speak to in Germany has so far been relaxed and convinced that brexit would not happen. I think the German mind set cannot imagine such actions, going into an uncertain future. So there were few preparations.

Now it looks like a possible hard brexit, things are changing.

I will post if I read anything more definite.

[Apollo_Creed]

Hi folks, it's been a couple of months since I started this thread. Do any of you have an update on the EU prescription position? Have you been able to access your meds from EU pharmacies as usual with a UK private prescription, or have EU pharmacies stopped dispensing in such circumstances? Any insight greatly appreciated as I'm about to send a prescription for six month supply. Thanks!

[helvella Administrator in reply to Apollo_Creed]

I rather fear we still don't know if or when things will change.

I suggest you write a brand new post - more people will likely see it.