T3 why is it so expensive in the UK

[fayray]

This needs to be addressed many of us are on t3 and find it very difficult to source - my GP supplied for approx 7 yrs then just stopped due to cost this is unacceptable it’s cheap as in other European countries

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Media coverage

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dailymail.co.uk/news/articl...

medscape.com/viewarticle/90...

A few members of parliament continue to fight for more action

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[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

For one primary reason - the bit of the NHS which handles medicine purchasing has agreed these high prices.

Why they have done so, I do not know.

It is the case that we have legal measures that we can take to control the prices of branded medicines. But, if they are generic, it was (foolishly) assumed that competition would keep the price down.

Prices did drop a bit after two additional companies launched their products.

In many ways, we would have been better off not having any UK products and simply importing, say Thybon Henning from Germany.

[fayray]

Thanks for the reply’s x

[Lotika]

OMG. Have you written to your MP? Some are less useless than others. Mine is I’d a different stripe politically but does seem to be at least trying to get me a response from the dept of health on an issue I raised regarding the NICE Guidelines... and T3. He is at least pretending that he thinks I may have a point!

[fayray in reply to Lotika]

Yes I tried that Nottingham are crap

[madge1979]

😱

M🌹

[BumbleyM]

I do source my T3 from Germany, and apart from the need to get a prescription every three months, touch wood, the system works . The chemist i purchase from is on the list provided by thyroiduk.org ( Thank you ), and although my Consultant has written to my GP stating there is a clinical need for me to have T3, the GP has refused to supply, as their pharmacy , after some research, has discovered they would be charged £141= for 28 tablets, whilst I can currently buy 3 months supply for €42 , including postage. Why the NHS is still being ripped off like this I don't know , and although I have written to my MP, not a lot has happened. Ok - rant over - but it was seeing your post that reminded me of how aggrieved I feel on the NHS and therefore the taxpayer's behalf.

[RedApple Administrator in reply to BumbleyM]

BumbleyM,

Have you actually sourced any T3 from Germany since Brexit? There are potential issues with this now

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[Discodiva1]

Hello

I saw an endocrinologist last week for the first time and he said that basically the NHS was being held to ransom by a few drug companies charging a fortune for T3 due to lack of competition.

I replied I could not understand why the response of the local CCG and specialists was not to sort out the procurement process but to write guidelines and policies making it unavailable to local people. When I dug a little deeper it seems the belief in the T3 as an effective treatment for hypothyroidism was not there. He quoted some double blind trial done in Exeter that showed no benefit. I am in Devon.

I managed after 45 minutes of explaining I would like a trial of T3 to walk out with a px for 10mcg......this is the maximum they can prescribe. However I was told that new guidance was probably going to be rolled out to withdraw it in the next 6 months. I think covid has slowed down lots of things.

[elkewilliams]

I used to get Henning Thybon from Germany, at a very reasonable price, through the info supplied by ThyroidUK but since January the chemists in Germany have very clearly stated that because we are a third country now since Brexit they are not allowed to recognise prescriptions from UK doctors. They are hoping that negotiations will start at some pint to come to a bilateral agreement, similar to EU-Switzerland, but cannot see that this is happening any time soon.

[fayray in reply to elkewilliams]

Can you keep me updated please