Anyone experiencing issues with Accord levothyroxine?

[5678sar]

I have always avoided TEVA because it gives me a rash. The rash looks like eczema and starts within a few days of taking it. It then takes weeks for the rash to disappear completely. I have tried this three times over the last year and the same thing happened. It never happened with other brands and so I thought it was because teva use mannitol as a filler which the others don’t.

Recently I got my prescription and it contained Accord. I have never had this brand. I normally have Activis but I think they have been bought by Accord. I checked the ingredients- no mention of mannitol so was happy to take them. However I am really confused because the rash has started again!!

Is anyone else experiencing issues?

[Nanaedake]

Look on side of pack for the marketing authorisation holder to find out who makes the levothyroxine. You may find different dose sizes are made by different maufacturers. For example, 25mcg might be by TEVA but 50 or 100 mcg by Actavis.

As far as I know Actavis have not been bought by Accord. Accord package other manufacturer's levothyroxine.

[helvella Administrator in reply to Nanaedake]

Nanedake,

Not so. (Could you be thinking of Almus and/or Northstar?)

Accord bought up the bit of Actavis that is in Barnstaple, Devon.

They have now, it appears, rebranded their levothyroxine.

You are right to look at the side of the packet - information will also be on the Patient Information Leaflet.

5678sar

(Also SPD1 and Gerispice and anyone else having issues.)

I am not aware of any change to the formulation of Accord/Actavis. However, we have had a number of posts here concerning Actavis/Accord:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu....

If you are having issues, please fill in a Yellow Card report:

yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/

UK Levothyroxine Tablets

➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

Last updated 24/02/2020.

This is a list of currently marketed levothyroxine tablets in the UK.

—————————————————————

🔹 Accord – formerly Actavis (manufacturer)

50

100

—————————————————————

🔸 Almus (an ‘own label supplier’ brand owned by Walgreen Boots Alliance – Boots pharmacies and Alliance distributor)

50 – This is repackaged Accord – formerly Actavis.

100 – This is repackaged Accord – formerly Actavis.

—————————————————————

🔹 Mercury Pharma (manufacturer – part of Advanz) includes both “Levothyroxine” and “Eltroxin” which are identical.

25

50

100

—————————————————————

🔹 Teva (manufacturer)

12.5

25

50

75

100

—————————————————————

🔸 Northstar (an ‘own label supplier’ brand owned by McKesson – Lloyds pharmacies and AAH distributor)

25 – This is repackaged Teva. ❗

50 – This is repackaged Accord - formerly Actavis. ❗

100 – This is repackaged Accord - formerly Actavis. ❗

—————————————————————

🔹 Wockhardt (manufacturer)

25

➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

🔹 – identifies manufacturers.

🔸 – identifies ‘own label supplier’ products.

❗ – Take particular note of the actual product which varies by dosage.

—————————————————————

Numbers refer to tablet dosages in micrograms.

If there is anything inaccurate in this information, please let me know by Private Message:

healthunlocked.com/user/hel...

➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

[Nanaedake in reply to helvella]

Great, thanks for all that detailed information. I didn't know Accord had bought Actavis and was rebranding (or renaming) I will now be checking each time. I get mine via Boots so not sure what's going to happen. I might have a problem with my prescriptions which state, Actavis. I might have to get the next lot of prescriptions altered so worth being forewarned.

I'm still getting Almus with authorisation holder Actavis from Boots so it might change as they restock.

[helvella Administrator in reply to Nanaedake]

The bit that confuses so much is that it was only one bit of Actavis. Albeit the bit we in the UK care about with respect to levothyroxine.

Most of Actavis went to Allergan - who sold off the Actavis Generics (in the USA) to Teva. But Teva had to sell off the UK arm (based in Barnstaple) as a condition of their takeover. And that was bought by Accord.

Only now, a couple of years or more down the track, have they rebranded. (I suspect a limitation on how long they could brand as Actavis.)

[Nanaedake in reply to helvella]

Yes, very confusing but thanks for the clarification.