Anybody using the Morningside brand of T3?

[hackman]

I hadn't heard of this brand before and it will be my first time of using T3 and just wondered if anybody else is using it?

Thanks in advance x

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Yes Morningside Healthcare is one of the three NHS licensed Liothyronine brands available. (The other two are Mercury Pharma and Teva)

Morningside Healthcare have just launched a 5mcg tablet and 10mcg tablet. (Not yet listed on NHS drugs tarrif)

What brand and tablet size were you taking before ?

Personally I found Morningside slightly stronger than Mercury Pharma

[hackman in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you SlowDragon. My prescription is for 5mcg which I will be taking twice daily. It will be the first time on T3 for me and it is a three month trial via private prescription. If successful, my GP has confirmed that she will be able to continue to issue private prescriptions for me.

The CCG refused to pay for my trial, despite complying with the requirements as set out by the NHS so I will be paying for this myself.

I don't know how much the NHS price is but I know what I have been quoted both on Mayne brand (from a different supplier) and Morningside brand - both for 5 mcg. Is this the pricing information you want?

If so, happy to share

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to hackman]

Yes please

Hopefully these 5mcg and 10mcg will be added to NHS drugs tariff

Currently price charged to NHS for 20mcg T3 is £173 for 28 tablets

But 5mcg by Sigma Pharma as a "special prescription" was being charged to NHS at highly inflated prices

A "special" medication is one that is not listed on the standard NHS drug tariff. As outlined here, exploitation of the special market is ongoing .

retailgazette.co.uk/blog/20...

express.co.uk/news/uk/91348...

90 x 5mcg Liothyronine Sigma Pharma tablets

Private prescription £126

NHS special prescription via large chain £424.56

NHS special prescription via independent pharmacy £382

Thybon Henning 20mcg T3 is available online with private prescription from Germany at 31 Euro for 100 tablets

[hackman in reply to SlowDragon]

I have paid £236.63 for 168 x 5mcg Morningside Liothyronine Sodium from Pharmacy 2U which equates to £1.408 per tablet. Free delivery

I was quoted £257.04 for the same quantity of the Mayne brand from Alium Medical which equated to £1.53 per tablet. Plus £6.50 delivery.

I was quoted £367 for the Mayne brand via IPS Specials from my local chemist which equates to £2.18 per tablet plus his dispensing charge of £40 which would have pushed the cost to £2.42 per tablet.

My mothers local pharmacy also got a price from IPS Specials for the Mayne brand of £177.95/100 or £298.95/168 or £355.90/200

I also had prices of £420, £581, £700 all from independants but the highest prices was Boots at £855.90!!!!!!

I think the NHS should give me a job in procurement!

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to hackman]

Next time get your endo to write prescription for 20mcg Liothyronine x 100 tablets

Then you can get much cheaper from Germany.....assuming Brexit not happened

Works out as 31 Euro for 400 x 5mcg

Relatively Easy to cut into 1/4's

[hackman in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you - do you know the brand name in Germany and which website to buy it from?

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to hackman]

Info on various sites here

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...

Thybon Henning 20mcg T3

Very unclear if access will cease if Brexit ever happens

Thousands of UK patients currently get T3 from Germany

[hackman in reply to SlowDragon]

Morning, SlowDragon - since I messaged you back in December, I have had my dosage changed and been given a script from my Endo for 20mcg - he has also confirmed that he is happy for me to cut to achieve my required dosage.

I thought you might like to know the price I have paid. I have two quotes from Pharmacy2U - both for Morningside brand but the price depends on the quantity purchased.

I am letting you know so that you can give others a UK purchase price which is very affordable and they don't need to worry about getting it from Europe after Brexit.

Price for 168 x 20mcg = £36.88 inc postage

Price for 84 x 20mcg = £20.17 inc postage.

Hope this is helpful to others xx

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to hackman]

Hi

Can you clarify

This is presumably a private prescription?

Do you mean Thybon Henning or Morningside Healthcare

NHS is currently being charged £174 for 28 tablets of 20mcg Morningside Healthcare

[hackman in reply to SlowDragon]

It is a private prescription and is for Morningside Healthcare (UK manufacturer) of 20mcg Liothyronine Sodium.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to hackman]

Absolutely astonishing

I will pass this on to the Thyroid UK office

Many many thanks

[hackman in reply to SlowDragon]

Yes - except this morning my meds have arrived and despite my requesting Morningside quite specifically, they have sent me TEVA instead! Obviously I don't want this with the bad publicity it's had, nor do I want to change my brand. So despite quoting me that price for Morningside - and taking the money for it, I now have doubt that the price they quoted ever was for Morningside. They are pretty inefficient and poor in their customer service so I am not that surprised at this.

I will speak to them on Monday to find out how to rectify this and if there is a difference in price I will let you know.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to hackman]

Still ridiculously cheap for Teva

[hackman in reply to SlowDragon]

I haven't heard back from them yet re swapping the meds but just for your info, note that the cost of 84 x TEVA was actually £16.72 and the postage (24hr signed for service) was £3.45. So an even better price! BTW, I know lots of people don't like TEVA, have you ever tried it yourself?

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to hackman]

No I haven’t

When I started on NHS T3 there was only Mercury Pharma licensed....charging NHS £258 for 28 tablets ....loose in a pot and only a month until use by date (ie a complete rip off)

Previous to that I was on Uni Pharma from Greece (£30 for 5 packets of 28 tablets inc postage,)

Uni Pharma was much better than Mercury .......sadly now extremely difficult to get

As soon as Morningside was licensed I changed to that brand (on principle). At least blister packed and long use by date .....slightly stronger perhaps than MP

Took a few weeks to adjust to changing brand

Not tried Teva

NHS prescription for any T3 is currently being charged to NHS at £173 for 28 tablets

Just dropped to £163 per pack in February tariff

[hackman in reply to SlowDragon]

So it seems someone's head is going to roll as there has been a catalogue of errors in my recent prescription to pharmacy2u. In short I have been quoted the wrong price - twice - by two different people. I have also paid said wrong price and have had 168 x 20mcg Teva dispensed. They can no longer get Morningside so they are refunding me said wrong price.

I am therefore trying to find a new supplier of Morningside 20mcg to satisfy my private prescription. I don't suppose you know of anywhere I could try do you?

Thank you in advance for any help you can give.

xx

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to hackman]

As I suspected......perhaps muddled price of levothyroxine and liothyronine up

Pity ....

Well any pharmacy can supply Morningside healthcare T3

£163 for 28 x 20mcg tablets

Getting prescription changed to read 100 x 20mcg liothyronine would enable access to German T3

Another member recently told by German pharmacy that access will remain until Dec

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to hackman]

Link to Sigma Pharma option

sigmapharm.com/products/lio...

[SlowDragon Administrator]

If you are getting 5mcg or 10mcg tablets can you find out the cost charged to NHS and let me know