Big Pharma’s Little Secret: Drug Cross-Contamination Is Rampant

[helvella]

I recognise this is almost two years old - but it is surely still relevant.

We might not be top-flight athletes, but it could affect each and every one of us.

Big Pharma’s Little Secret: Drug Cross-Contamination Is Rampant[/b/

Machines that make one kind of pill often have traces of others—an issue so serious it can jeopardize Olympic dreams.

By

Anna Edney

26 July 2021, 05:01 BST

Brady Ellison, a three-time U.S. Olympic medalist in archery, is going for gold in Tokyo, though he was almost disqualified. Pills he takes for a thyroid condition contained traces of a drug banned by anti-doping authorities. “I had absolutely no clue,” says Ellison, 32.

Rest of article appears to be accessible here:

bloomberg.com/news/articles...

[LindaC]

Kind of seems as if 'Ethics' went out of the window... along with 'Endocrinology' as it relates to the thyroid!? How come 'Pharma' and a Medical School' can be almost compared in this way!? 🖤👺

[Rocky]

This has been a worry for me now I have been diagnosed with Celiac disease recently. I have contacted the drug companies myself to be reassured that the Levothyroxine, Liothyronine, blood pressure tablets and iron tablets are all gluten free and don't contain any gluten containing ingredients. Like everyone else on here regardless of my celiac disease we have to trust what we are told and that there is no contamination in our medication. This article doesn't make for very good practice or reading

[helvella in reply to Rocky]

The opinion of Coeliac UK seems to be that all UK medicines are gluten-free unless they contain an obvious ingredient. (I accept that it's possible not all coeliac sufferers agree.)

coeliac.org.uk/information-...

[Rocky in reply to helvella]

Thanks for that information

[helvella in reply to Rocky]

If you follow this link:

products.mhra.gov.uk/search...

(and accept the warning!)

You will see all UK licensed medicines which contain wheat. Unfortunately, the search mechanism shows 40001 medicines! But that is because looks for words like "wheat" including "heat", "wheal", "what" and goodness knows what else.

One example I found:

What Lomustine contains

- The active substance is lomustine. Each capsule contains 40 mg lomustine.

- The other ingredients are lactose, wheat starch, talc and magnesium stearate

And another:

Lioresal Tablet contains Wheat starch :

This medicine contains only very low levels of gluten (from wheat starch) and is very unlikely to cause problems if you have coeliac disease.

One tablet of Lioresal 10 mg contains no more than 6.1 micrograms of gluten.

If you have wheat allergy (different from coeliac disease) you should not take this medicine

But if you add quotes, it only shows 29 products:

products.mhra.gov.uk/search...

[Rocky in reply to helvella]

That is very helpful and I have just had a look and I learnt a while ago about Strepsils containing wheat starch, as they are something I would normally take. I have tried the gluten free bread with wheat starch labelled as codex wheat and can't tolerate it, so make my own now. I have learnt that I can't tolerate the recommended amount they are allowed to put in foods and medication

[helvella in reply to Rocky]

I have just added more or less the same as above to my Vade Mecum:

helvella - Vade Mecum for Thyroid

The term vade mecum means:

1. A referential book such as a handbook or manual.

2. A useful object, constantly carried on one’s person.

Please don't get put off by the number of pages!

In particular, it is not intended that you sit and read the document. Just that you download it and know you can look things up.

Not everything is in this one document - my major medicines document is still separate!

From Dropbox:

dropbox.com/s/vp5ct1cwc03bl...

From Google Drive:

drive.google.com/file/d/1ZW...

[Rocky in reply to helvella]

Thank you so much you have been very helpful today and I will have a look