Hillcross brand?

[Zadock]

Has anyone else been given Hillcross levo? I’ve just collected my prescription and been given this brand. I’ve never seen it before! My pharmacy knows that I need to avoid Teva. Thanks for any advice on this!

Hmmmm So is this the same as Teva?😗

[TiggerMe]

Never heard of it!... Could you add some pictures for our super sleuth    helvella

He loves all the numbers on the boxes too please

Does it list it's excipients?

From what I can see Hillcross Pharmaceuticals were dissolved in April 2017 ?

[TiggerMe in reply to TiggerMe]

Yes, listed on Teva's site and contains mannitol and acacia... don't understand the change of box??

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to TiggerMe]

You're a patient aren't you.

Why do you think you have any right whatsoever to understand anything?

It is exactly that same position as Almus and, until a few months ago, Northstar. We don't see any point at all in different packaging. But someone, somewhere sees a reason.

[Zadock in reply to helvella]

Yes that’s right! My pharmacy has always been helpful in the past. It’ll be interesting to see what they say when I ask them about this as they know not to give me Teva.

[RedApple Administrator]

Zadock,

I can see the name Teva on your photo.

Look on the side of the box for actual manufacturer details.

This looks like a 'pharmacy rebranding' of Teva levo. Is the pharmacy one of a chain?

Check the ingredients on the PIL - does it contain mannitol?

[Zadock in reply to RedApple]

Thanks. Pharmacy is part of Pharmacy+Health

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Yes - it is in my medicines document! But I'll update that to make it clear it is currently being dispensed!

helvella's medicines documents (UK and Rest of the World) can be found here:

helvella - Thyroid Hormone Medicines

helvella has created, and tries to maintain, documents containing details of all thyroid hormone medicines in the UK and, in less detail, many others around the world.

This link takes you to a page which has direct links to the documents from Dropbox and Google Drive, and QR codes to make it easy to access from phones.

The UK document contains up-to-date versions of the Summary Matrix for tablets, oral solutions and liothyronine available in the UK.

helvella.blogspot.com/p/hel...

There is also some fragmentary information about the brand being used many years ago!

helvella.blogspot.com/p/hel...

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Zadock,

Which pharmacy did you get that from? (That is, which chain? Not asking the specific branch!)

[Zadock in reply to helvella]

I think it’s part of Pharmacy+Health

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Zadock]

Thanks!

They do not appear to be part of Hallo (nor AAH).

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

It appears that Hillcross is more or less a replacement for Northstar. No idea if there was a specific reason to stop Northstar. Nor why they have now introduced Hillcross.

And I am naturally wondering if we are going to see Hillcross 50 and 100 microgram levothyroxine products.

Hillcross was registered as a trademark of AAH Pharmaceuticals Limited, Sapphire Court, Walsgrave Triangle, Coventry, West Midlands, CV2 2TX, United Kingdom with date of entry in register: 21 January 2022

Hallo Healthcare Group

Hallo Healthcare Group is the holding company brand name for some of the UK's leading healthcare organisations. Together, we are made up of LloydsPharmacy Ltd, AAH Pharmaceuticals Ltd, LloydsPharmacy Clinical Homecare, LloydsDirect and Lloyds Online Doctor. Check out our individual company websites for more information.

[Zadock in reply to helvella]

thanks Helvella. So if Teva doesn’t suit me, does that mean this one won’t either? Or do I need to check the ingredients in more detail? I can’t recall what exactly is different with Teva other than it being lactose free which I don’t need.

[RedApple Administrator in reply to Zadock]

Zadock, The picture you posted shows that the tablets are Teva. It's only the name on the box that's different.

Teva contains Mannitol, which is what upsets a lot of people (although some people are fine with Teva levo). The ingredients will be listed on the PIL (leaflet inside the box).

If your pharmacy has been instructed not to give you Teva levo, then you need to take these tablets, complete with PIL and box, back to the pharmacy.

Point out the Teva name on the box and PIL to prove that these are just Teva, which they should not have given you.

Ask the pharmacy to replace with whichever brand you had last time (e.g. Accord).

[Zadock in reply to RedApple]

Thanks RedApple

[TiggerMe in reply to Zadock]

It is Teva that you have in a different box so the ingredients are the same

I would just take them back to the pharmacy and get them swapped 🤗

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Zadock]

It is Teva inside.

The way to check, absolutely definitively and without the box being opened, is to look for the Manufacturing Authorisation number on the box.

PL 00289/1972

Do you still have the box in your possession?

Please would you check the long number under the barcode. Is it:

5017007251583

That is the number used for Teva and I suspect this is different.

Barcode from Teva levothyroxine 25mcg

[Zadock in reply to helvella]

Interesting.....So the PL number is the same Helvella, but the long number below the barcode is different - ...05 017007 604853. Do you need a photo? So what does that tell you?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Zadock]

I'd love a photo please!

The PL number is an absolute determination of what the formulation is.

But the other number should be in company and NHS records and possible to look up.

This link might or might not work!

services.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/dmd-...

[Zadock in reply to helvella]

Here you go....

Hillcross packaging

[crimple]

Zadock it looks like a way of palming off TEVA onto folks without them realising!! I am of course very biased about TEVA due to the serious issue in 2012 of 100mcgm doses delivering only half the dose (just been through a similar issue with Accord)

Also Teva contains acacia powder which I definitely cannot tolerate.

There has to be a profit margin implicated somewhere, pardon my cycnicism.

Just on the road to recovery with Vencamil 100mcgm and brain is getting sharper!!

[Andie222]

Yes. I received the same brand the other day. They gave me 2 boxes of the TEVA 25s and as I opened the bag I returned them immediately. I was given these as a substitute. It was only when I got home I realised they are also TEVA! I have asked before to avoid TEVA but it's not on my prescription. I usually have wockhardt.

[Zadock in reply to Andie222]

That’s exactly what happened to me! And they usually give me Wockhart.

[Andie222 in reply to Zadock]

I’ve emailed my pharmacy so will see what they say. I don’t think they are going to be very happy with me! 🫢

[knitwitty]

My mum had a severe reaction to TEVA a few years back , and we were constantly returning packs of TEVA back to the pharmacy as they kept delivering them to her., despite many phone calls telling them the she couldn't tolerate that brand.

Within a day or two of taking TEVA Levo for the first time my mum was covered from head to foot with a hives type rash which was very itchy and she felt quite unwell.

The final straw came when my Sister in law took a pack back and the pharmacy assistant was adamant that she could and would have to take the Teva as they had nothing else, at this point we changed to a different dispensing pharmacy.

I complained to the Pharmacist who was in charge and asked if they had never heard of anaphylactic shock ( of course they had `). They assured me they would speak to the assistant but I suspect nothing changed, we weren't prepared to test out the theory.

[Zadock in reply to knitwitty]

So sorry to hear that. How awful. I’ve always avoided Teva as I didn’t feel well taking it, and recovered once I switched to a different brand. But it relies on cooperation from the pharmacy as it’s not stated on my prescription.

[Fweb]

Was just searching the forum for this brand and came across this - I've just been prescribed this today (50mg Accord and 25mg Hillcross to take together). Every prescription I've had so far since Nov has been a different brand/combo... have asked about getting single brand but they've said that's all they can get :/

[Zadock]

hello Fweb. Gosh yes it’s a problem isn’t it. I’ve now arranged with my pharmacy that they select what I need rather than the robot doing it. We’ll see what happens next week when my repeats are due…..