How to share MPs response on Healthunlocked.

[mstp]

I recently write to my MP about the cost of T3. He posed two questions to the Govt. and I think people here might like to see them but I'm not sure how to share them. Any hints gratefully received as I really do no want to type them.

[Tythrop]

Just picked up T3 capsules from Boots the chemist .10mcg twice a day for 28 days = £200 T4 on the other hand is cheap as chips

The problem is that some of us are bad converters of T4 to t3 . It's a metabolic thing which, like diabetes, is not our fault.

So can someone please explaine the price difference? .

I can't get it on NHS as they make medical excuses but in reality it's the price .

...so MPs do you want my vote?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Tythrop]

The only justification I know of is that they can charge so much.

Thybon Henning 20 microgram tablets are around 31 euros for 100 tablets in Germany. Which is much, much lower cost.

And the profit Boots are raking in on something that has an NHS price of £65 is totally iniquitous.

[DippyDame in reply to Tythrop]

It could also be supply and demand....or greed!

T4 prescribed widely...T3 not so

Though I'm sure that demand would rise if medics undersood how to use T3!

It's a bit of a double edged sword

They really don't have a leg to stand on because T3 has been/is available OTC in Europe for a fraction of that cost.

Patients depending on T3 are golden geese to the pharmaceutical industry....

The NHS is failing thyroid patients.....yet millions seem to be spent on other conditions

We deserve a level playing field!

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to DippyDame]

I'm not sure that T3 is OTC in any EU country. At least, officially, even if people could get it without prescription in Greece until fairly recently.

It is not OTC in Germany, Ireland, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Spain, Portugal, Malta, ...

[DippyDame in reply to helvella]

Oooops sorry....I obviously based that on a misunderstanding the people were travelling to some EU countries to stock up on T3 from local pharmacies.

PS

Just noticed that 2 years ago you commented, "Saying it can be bought, of course, does not mean it is officially Over-The-Counter.

My mistake!

[mstp in reply to Tythrop]

I recently ordered some from a pharmacy in the UK costing £360 for 6 packs of 100 20mcg T3 tablets. Boots T3 sounds very expensive. If you P.M me I will let you know which pharmacy as I don't think I am allowed to name it here.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to mstp]

If it is a UK pharmacy which requires a prescription, yes, you can name it here.

The Thyroid UK website has a number of such pharmacies listed:

thyroiduk.org/get-support/t...

[mstp in reply to helvella]

Thanks Helleva. The prescription is written by the pharmacist. The pharmacy Iam referring to is Roseway Labs.

[Hurtlocker in reply to mstp]

Can you message me with pharmacy details to buy T3 without prescription...thankyou..

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Hurtlocker]

If you want to know that, please post your OWN brand new post.

That will be closed to replies and members can reply by Private Message.

And mstp has a prescription so might well not know where to buy without prescription.

[RedApple Administrator in reply to Hurtlocker]

Hurtlocker, Can you message me with pharmacy details to buy T3 without prescription...thankyou..

Please write your own new post requesting this information. And for your own safety, you should also read our medications warning post here healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

In what form do you have your MP's response?

Can you copy and paste the text?

Or photograph and paste the image into a reply?

[RedApple Administrator]

mstp, yes we would be very interested to see. How did the questions/replies come, was it by email?

[DippyDame]

A number of years ago I emailed every MP and MSP in Scotland about the availability/ prescribing of T3, very few replied, and about 4 if I recall, had a thyroid condition, and empathised.

A massive campaign was underway...

Our much missed diogenes wrote the following ...

The effective death of the Scottish Petition by Lorraine Cleaver was I regret inevitable. I accompanied her on one presentation to the committee. I found some sympathy and recognition of the problem from several MSP's attending there - with an impassioned plea by Elaine Smith who is a T3-taker. The basic problem is that the MSP's themselves are amateurs in tackling this problem, and are easily outflanked by the medics who like Porterfield, parrot the perceived status quo. The medics in this field, when challenged, draw into a threatening circle of refusing to countenance changes unless they themselves have taken part in the studies supporting such changes. Given that the Porterfield letter merely repeated the unfortunate fact that trials for T4/T3 combination or NDT are effectively useless through faulty design, and therefore do not merit change to present procedures, we can be sure that mutual ignorance of present day work is rife, including those who have misguidedly undertaken these trials. As I've said many times before, the underlying irrational stance is taken that, though the individual is admitted to be as such, at the same time that individual is diagnosed from a statistical collection of subjects, as if anywhere in the range covered by those subjects is considered suitable treatment (directly clashing with the first statement of individuality). Why medics can't see this dilemma for what it is I cannot understand.

Little has changed....and may even be worse!

The decision makers still sit in high places and the medics have to follow their (so called) guidelines or risk their registration. Reference the treatment meted out to the late Dr Gordon Skinner

This issue has potentially more legs than a centipede....but their legs are tied together!

It will be interesting to read what your MP had to say

[mstp]

It is under UK Govt written questions, answers, and statements to the Dept of Health and Social Care on Liothyronine. The questions were numbered but I can't find the number without losing this post so I will log it in a follow up post. I cannot do a screenshot because the answers are too long and I can't work out how to share them.

[mstp]

They are numbered 27175 and 27176. Hopefully you can access them by Googling the info I have included.

[PurpleNails Administrator in reply to mstp]

Is it this?

parallelparliament.co.uk/qu...

On this page you can vote on if this answer the question?

theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?i...

[mstp in reply to PurpleNails]

Yes that's the page abd Stephen Morgan is our MP who is asking the questions. Let me know what you think.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to mstp]

Fobbed off. Whether out of ignorance, poor briefing, failure to understand, or some other reason is difficult to say.

For levothyroxine tablets, we have very low prices. Quite possibly lower than most other countries.

But UK Liothyronine prices have some way to go to match Germany's approx. 31 euros for 100 Thybon Henning tablets. And especially bad for 5 and 10 microgram tablets.

[TaraJR]

Ah, so he's YOUR MP - I wondered who'd prompted him!

ITT Improve Thyroid Treatment group tweeted Stephen Morgan MP saying the answers to his questions were unsatisfactory, and the govt doesn't seem to know they wasted 100s of £millions paying a ridiculous price for T3, and they're still paying over the odds, and this has led to patients still having T3 refused or removed.

[Tina_Maria]

Part of the problem of this is actually the NHS itself, with the way they source their medicines. For generic medicines, they used to have 'preferred suppliers', which means that they contract specific companies to supply a specific generic medicine.

Between 2009 and 2017, Advanz Pharma was the preferred supplier of liothyronine (T3) and bit by bit, other suppliers ceased supplying T3 to the UK market, as there was no need. Advanz Pharma used their unique market position to exploit this and increased their prices accordingly. The NHS spend £600,000 on T3 in 2006, this increased to £2,3 Million in 2009 and further to £30 Million by 2016. Of course this is morally wrong, but if you have basically cornered the market, it is a simple question of demand and supply. The NHS is too slow to adapt to situations like this, they could have decided to contract with another supplier (or even more) and this would have kept prices substantially lower. Instead the reaction is to restrict the supply of T3 based on dubious guidelines, instead of solving the actual problem.

The competition marketing authority in the UK has ruled against Advanz, and they were made to pay a fine of over £84 millions for exploiting the loophole, which is good, but does not solve the underlying problem.

The UK has passed a legislation that gives the government more powers to control the prices of unbranded generic medicines. However, if the NHS continues to be complacent and just contracts one supplier, things may not improve for the better of patient care.