Have Accord taken over Activas Levothyroxine

[Rocky]

I have just picked up my prescription this morning and checked it before I left the pharmacy. When I got home, I had one box of 50mcg Activas levothyroxine and one box of 100mcg Accord Levothyroxine. I always open the packs up when I get home and check they are Activas tablets inside. The boxes are exactly the same packaging, but with different names on. When I rang the pharmacist he said that Accord have taken over Activas now and that the tablets will be exactly the same. I am very sensitive to the fillers in different medication and I am worried they are not the same. Has anyone been taking the Accord brand of Levothyroxine and can they assure me that they have had no problems when taking them

[lynmynott Partner Thyroid UK]

It looks like they bought out Actavis in 2017. When this happens they tend to use up all the boxes and PILs before using their own. When you read this you can see who really owns these companies - independentpharmacist.co.uk...

We try to keep a list of companies and thyroid drugs but it gets more and more complicated!

[Rocky in reply to lynmynott]

Thanks Lyn. Does it mean they will still be using the exact same ingredients as the Activas Levothyroxine?

[lynmynott Partner Thyroid UK in reply to Rocky]

Usually, that is the case but you need to check the Patient Information leaflet within the box.

[helvella Administrator in reply to Rocky]

Check the PL number!

Have a look here: medicines.org.uk/emc/produc...

I do not believe there has been any change. I think it is just a matter of branding.

I always expected Accord to change it - they probably had a time-limited permission to continue using the Actavis name.

[helvella Administrator in reply to lynmynott]

Be careful here. Accord did not buy Actavis - the gigantic company. They bought the little bit of Actavis that is in Barnstaple, Devon. The one that deals with (at least mainly) generic medicines in the UK.

(But not Actavis Generics which covers USA & Canada.)

Actavis then got renamed Allergan.

The story is long and complex (and I have deliberately missed bits out to try to avoid confusing).

Some more here, if you really want:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actavis

[Rocky in reply to helvella]

Thank you both for your information. I have looked at both the patient information leaflets and they do contain the same ingredients. The leaflets are exactly the same only one says Activas at the bottom and the other one says Accord. They both say manufacturer in Barnstaple