Your UK Endocrinologist Please

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IT IS VITAL WE GET ALL THE UK ENDOCRINOLOGISTS FOR OUR DATA BASE. Please will

help us in attaining this by copying and pasting the following letter on to ALL

your other support groups. If you have not already done so, please let us know

the name and address of the hospital your endocrinologist is based direct to our

database address below.

Luv - Sheila

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FOR UK MEMBERS ONLY - YOUR HELP IS VITAL!

ARMOUR THYROID AND PORCINE THYROID EXTRACT FOR THYROID REPLACEMENT THERAPY.

A letter has been received from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory

Agency regarding the prescribing of Armour Thyroid (natural desiccated porcine

thyroid extract) to patients for whom the UK licensed synthetic thyroid hormones

are not suitable. Contributors to hypothyroid discussion groups consistently ask

why Armour Thyroid is not prescribed for patients who cannot tolerate T4 or who

have a conversion problem. Typical responses from doctors include:

1...Armour was found to have had potency problems in the past.

2...Armour Thyroid is an unreliable preparation in terms of active thyroid

constituents.

3...I cannot prescribe Armour Thyroid extract in view of the difficulty in

ensuring adequate quality control for this preparation.

4...The Medicines Control Committee will not allow this product to be licensed

because it has been found to be dangerous in the past.

5...The synthetic is the only medication which provides steady hormone levels

..

Many medical practitioners believe that the above information refers to Armour

Thyroid. This is NOT the case. Some brands of natural desiccated porcine thyroid

extract are marketed under US law as food supplements and as such are not

authorised by the FDA. These products can vary considerably in the content of

thyroid hormones, because they are not standardised, and as a result could

potentially be dangerous.

However, other brands (including Armour Thyroid) ARE authorised by the FDA as

medicines, and are standardised to the specification of the USP. Armour Thyroid

meets these specifications.

The MHRA has not objected to their importation provided that they are FDA

approved products, standardised to the USP, and that they are for the treatment

of patients with thyroid diseases for whom the UK licensed synthetic thyroid

hormones are not suitable. Consequently, these products can be made available to

those people who need them, subject to their being prescribed by a doctor

It is vital that this information is now made available to all endocrinologists

working for the NHS.

ThyroidUK will send a copy of the letter from the MHRA containing this

information to all of them but needs details of your endocrinologist urgently in

order to be able to do this.

We need -.........

1...The name (including initials if possible) of your endocrinologist/doctor

2...The address of Hosptial where your endocrinologist is based with post code

Or email direct it to: endoinfo@...

This information is needed urgently

Thank you for your help in this matter.