Advanz Pharma/ Mercury Pharma : In a reply I made... - Thyroid UK

Thyroid UK

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Advanz Pharma/ Mercury Pharma

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator
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In a reply I made earlier (on this thread: healthunlocked.com/thyroidu... ) I said that I would raise a new post if and when I heard anything.

I have had a response - just a holding reply, really. But that is at least a start. When there is more to say, I'll add it here.

The issue is that there are clear shortage issues with at least some Mercury Pharma products and rumours working round about their future.

[ Added sentence above to clarify the context in which I contacted Advanz/ Mercury Pharma. ]

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helvella profile image
helvella
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tattybogle profile image
tattybogle

let me guess .... "thankyou for your enquiry... we will get back to you just as soon as we can remember which name we have called ourselves where , and what our tablets are called in your country .. and what country our office is in now ... and which bit of it is now being 'administered' by a company that also administers loads of windfarms and a few thousand other businesses the vast majority of which seem to be 'closed' ... thankyou for your patience "

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply totattybogle

But a same-day response. And I have been assured it has been sent to higher levels of the company.

Let us see what happens. :-)

SarahJane1471 profile image
SarahJane1471

My pharmacy got me MP yesterday. We spoke and she ordered it from their supplier and it came with no problem.

Also when I called Advanz they told me there were no supply issues.

I live in Wiltshire would that make a difference? 🤷‍♀️

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toSarahJane1471

Thanks for adding that. Such comments are helpful in plotting what is happening,

If there is an issue with distribution, then it could be very regional. Some distributors do not cover the entire UK.

3 wholesalers servicing 4,000 pharmacies go into administration

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

SarahJane1471 profile image
SarahJane1471 in reply tohelvella

Interesting 🤔 she did say the name of the wholesaler and it wasn’t one of those in the article.She had a mask 😷 on and said something like AAA .

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toSarahJane1471

AAH ? They are huge. Part of the group that owns Lloyds pharmacies but they deliver everywhere. They acquired Vestric who were the major distribution arm of Glaxo way back in 1985. Vestric had a phenomenal computerised system managing twice-a-day deliveries to most UK pharmacies which was very sophisticated for the time.

Link below is to the Medicinal forms page of the British National Formulary which lists distributors/wholesalers of levothyroxine:

LEVOTHYROXINE SODIUM

bnf.nice.org.uk/medicinal-f...

SarahJane1471 profile image
SarahJane1471 in reply tohelvella

That’s it ! 😂

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator

Good news!

I have just got off the phone from a VP of Advanz.

We discussed all the issues raised in the email I sent him. He will be replying by email but, because of industry regulations which require set processes when directly contacting patients, it might take a couple of days or so to clear the hurdles.

In summary:

⦿ The company is in good financial form.

⦿ There is the issue with the wholesalers/distributors going into administration which I have already mentioned. Supplies might not be flowing through them, or only doing so with delays.

⦿ There is not now, nor have there been in a long time, any stock/availability issues with all levothyroxine tablets (25, 50 and 100 both as levothyroxine and as Eltroxin) and liothyronine. They are in stock and available.

He will be replying to me with an email which says a bit more than this and I shall post when I get it. Seems better to wait a few days than rely on my notes from the conversation.

In the meantime, if any of you have issues with pharmacists saying they cannot get hold of these products, suggest they call Advanz customer services.

Customer Care direct line

+44 (0)208 588 9273

SarahJane1471 profile image
SarahJane1471 in reply tohelvella

👏👏 that’s what they told me last week. However when I said to my pharmacy that I had the phone number I was told because they are part of Day Lewis pharmacy they could not call Advanz direct 🤷‍♀️. They have to order through AAH. So this could still be a problem for some unless they are a completely independent pharmacy. But great news about the stock !!!

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toSarahJane1471

SarahJane1471,

They are welcome to order through AAH!

But if that is the case, they should ring AAH and kick them into delivering. :-)

SarahJane1471 profile image
SarahJane1471 in reply tohelvella

I agree 😜luckily my pharmacy, although part of Day Lewis, are really helpful to me ( first name terms) and have now kept back a store of Mercury Pharma for me. But it seems that others are having problems getting certain brands. I’m sure you are correct that this is a distributor problem. S

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator

I have just received the formal letter answering the questions about Mercury Pharma - pasted below as received (just contact details and the usual notices about emails that companies add)l

Dear Rod,

Thank you for contacting ADVANZ PHARMA customer care department.

As discussed in our phone conversation, we were unaware of the “issues” patients were experiencing posted on these forums which you brought to our attention.

We would like to reinforce ADVANZ PHARMA is owned by Nordic Capital, an experienced and successful Private Equity investor. We therefore benefit from the full support of a strong and committed financial partner who is investing in the future growth of the Business. ADVANZ PHARMA is trading as normal and as detailed below we are in stock of the products you mention (please note Mercury Pharma is an entity under the ADVANZ PHARMA umbrella).

We have also validated that our wholesale customers are also in stock of our products. Please disregard the indirect information notified to you via unsolicited platforms outside of our control.

With regard to the products you highlight, please find below the current status of each:

Levothyroxine tablets: In stock. No recent supply problems for any Eltroxin and Mercury Pharma Levothyroxine tablets.

Liothyronine tablet: In stock. No supply issues.

Carbimazole tablets: We only currently market the 20mg strength (NeoMercazole). All other strengths are discontinued for the foreseeable future.

We hope this clarifies the issues raised on the forum.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Regards,

Kit

Kit Britten

VP, UK & Ireland Commercial

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