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Good news! You can get good desiccated thyroid from Canada.

erfathyroid

NOTE: when this blog post was written in 2009, it was good news to mention the Canadian brand of NDT, made by the company called Erfa. But sadly beginning in 2014, it seemed to change in a negative way, as reported by numerous patients, even if some still used it. Complaints about symptoms returning fell on deaf ears. There have also been shortages. 

Unfortunately, patients who want to switch to desiccated thyroid from T4-only meds like Synthroid et al, or those already on desiccated thyroid who want to fill their next prescription, are going to find it difficult. There are widespread shortages in desiccated thyroid like Armour, Naturethroid and Westhroid. (see my posts below).

But there’s good news, and it comes in the form of “Thyroid”  by Erfa.

Erfa’s “Thyroid”  is an excellent natural desiccated thyroid product according to the experience of patients who use it. It contains:

  • Dried Thyroid
  • Mag­ne­sium Stearate
  • Corns­tarch
  • Talc
  • Sugar

**Note the “sugar”. Patients also report they are able to do this brand of medication sublingually! That is good news.

The Erfa website states you can obtain their desiccated thyroid medication outside of Canada via a special access program and follow their steps:

For patients outside Canada and the US:

1. Get a prescription from your local doctor (mention hypothyroidism on it).
2. Your doctor should fill in this simple document (not required for the UK)
3. Fax or e-mail us the documents at 1-514-931-7330 or info@ERFA.net

For patients in the US:

1. get a valid prescription of Thyroid from your local doctor
2. your doctor has to fill FDA form 1572 (e-mail us a request at info@ERFA.net
3. Fax or e-mail us the documents at 1-514-931-7330 or info@ERFA.net

Thank you Erfa from Stop the Thyroid Madness and thyroid patients all over the world who KNOW what a superior treatment desiccated thyroid really is!

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7 replies

The only North American maker of desiccated porcine thyroid is working hard

Screen Shot 2015-09-21 at 11.27.57 AM(This page was originally written in 2009 but it has been updated to the present day and time.)

We always talk about pharmaceuticals which produce our desiccated thyroid medication pills like Forest Labs (Armour) and RLC Labs (Naturethroid and Westhroid).

These are also the pharmaceuticals who provide these pills to the local pharmacies we use.

But there is another important link in the chain that proceeds them–the laboratory that makes the actual porcine powder!

American Laboratories, Inc. (ALI)

ALI is a small and family-owned processing company located in Omaha, Nebraska which was established in 1967 by Mr. Jack Jackson and Mr. William Phalen.  They have been making desiccated Porcine Thyroid Powder (which is an Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient, API) for over 47 years, as well as 200 natural biologically derived products such as Pancreatin and Pepsin, both digestive enzymes. Their mantra is “Building trust through quality products and service.”

Pertaining to their raw porcine powder, they state:

American Laboratories staff has been dedicated to the manufacture of active Pharmaceutical products for over 47 years, and currently follow all FDA cGMP (21 CFR) requirements or the safe and effective manufacturing of drug products or human consumption. Our stringent raw material quality requirements and highly defined manufacturing process control have aided us in providing category leading status for the drug products that we manufacture.

ALI, as a leading manufacture and supplier of enzyme and natural dried products, is also probably the only North American company to make desiccated thyroid powder. And they will explain that it’s a long and difficult product to make, but they are committed to it. ALI sells product to over 50 countries around the world, as stated below from them!!

Their website underscores:

American Laboratories, Inc. is a family-owned business founded nearly 50 years ago based on our knowledge of providing enzymes, proteins and flavors to various industries. Today, American Laboratories is proud to offer an extensive listing of over 300 products to the Food Processing, Pharmaceutical, Veterinary Health, Nutritional and Diagnostic industries in the United States and over 50 countries around the world. Through our high quality products and customer service, American Laboratories has become an industry-recognized supplier for the products we manufacture.

In August of 2009, I spoke with Kenny Soejoto, the Chief Operating Officer. He explained that supply and demand has been a critical issue, and ALI will be doing everything they can to provide the quality desiccated thyroid powder to pharmaceuticals that they always have. You’ll also see a Press Release come out later today from Kenny and ALI about the issue. I’ll add it below.

The supply and demand issue is outright due to the current patient revolution, represented by STTM and other fine groups and websites,  against the sole treatment of hypothyroidism with T4 meds like Synthroid by too many doctors….and in favor of desiccated thyroid as a far better treatment. Demand has grown, and perhaps it caught them by surprise. (That is my comment, by the way, NOT ALI’s.)

Even RLC Labs states that demand for Naturethroid (due to problems with the newly formulated Armour) has quadrupled in the past few weeks. And rightly so!  Thyroid patients around the world KNOW FIRSTHAND how much better desiccated thyroid treatment is over T4-only. And word is spreading.

So as we,  thyroid patients on desiccated thyroid, face a shortage in 2009, take heart that everyone is working hard to bring supply back to us.  🙂 Also see my post below concerning the bigger issue with Medco, and potential alternatives.

*************************************

Here’s the Press Release below, and it should calm any fears or panic:

August 19, 2009

To our knowledge, American Laboratories, Inc. is the only manufacturer in North America of Thyroid Products for use in Human Pharmaceuticals as an Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient. We have manufactured our Thyroid products for over forty years, and we understand the importance they have to our customers and ultimately the consumer patients. Today, as well as in the future, our Thyroid products will continue to be a strategic part of our business.

Through the years, the world-wide demand for our Thyroid products, as well as our human nutritional enzyme products has increased dramatically. Through careful planning and strict adherence to regulations set forth by the FDA, USDA and other government agencies, we have implemented plans to increase our production capacities. In addition, American Laboratories’ is working closely with our suppliers to help ensure a consistent supply of quality raw materials. We hope that you understand that the process to manufacture the active ingredient takes several months to complete.

Please be assured that we have placed our Thyroid production as our number one priority so that we can meet the demands of our customers.

American Laboratories, Inc
Omaha, Nebraska, USA

JanieSignature SEIZE THE WISDOM

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23 replies

I am very concerned for those on Naturethroid with a month-to-month supply

shortageWord has trickled down to me from a few patients and emails that even Naturethroid is getting harder to come by at pharmacies because of the extreme demand on RLC Labs.

No, they are not ceasing to make desiccated thyroid. They just weren’t prepared for the high demand due to the reformulation of Armour and problems it caused.  And they aren’t keeping up and won’t for several months.

So, if you can’t last with your current prescription for several months, you will probably need to talk to your doc about getting a generic version by Major Pharmacy, or get some over-the-counter like NutriMeds, or even the “Hypo Support Formula” made by RLC Labs, but expect to take much more of either.  Many patients are also mentioning Thyroid-S by Greater Pharma as a backup until RLC catches up.  But it’s by mail order and will take a few weeks to arrive.  Google any of the above. Finally, you can move a slight step backwards and talk to your doc about doing synthetic T4 and synthetic T3.  It’s not going to be quite a good as being on desiccated thyroid, but it’s certainly better than being on T4 alone, don’t you agree?? Keep connected to your doc.  And hang in there. This will pass.

Janie

P.S. I’ll be adding more information to this post tomorrow. Check back.

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Below is the actual release by RLC Labs:

For any patients experiencing difficulties in attaining either Nature-ThroidTM or WesthroidTM through their pharmacy, RLC Labs, Inc, asks these individuals to have their pharmacy contact us directly at 877-797-7997 to place an order, or have their pharmacy request a drop-shipment through their wholesale supplier.

RLC Labs’ products are only available through wholesalers, pharmacies and or their doctors; thus all confirmations and/or tracking information will only be available through the wholesaler, pharmacy, or doctor’s office that placed the order.

RLC Labs is experiencing a substantial increase in orders for Nature-ThroidTM and WesthroidTM. The recent unexpected influx has inundated our customer service and shipping departments, thus causing delays and depleting our current stock. We are working around the clock to fulfill all current orders; however, we cannot guarantee that
any future orders will be fulfilled until our stock is replenished.

RLC Labs will continue to accept orders from our customers, however as of Friday August 14th, we are backordered on all strengths of Nature-ThroidTM and WesthroidTM. Shipment is expected to resume within 90 days.

We regret to inform you of this situation; however, we can assure you that we are working diligently to replenish our stock and will resume shipping as soon as possible. Please accept our sincerest apology for any inconvenience.

We do understand how much of an impact this has as most of us employed @ RLC Labs, are hypothyroid and take our own product. Thus, we know and understand how important it is to get product back into the market place. We are grateful for your continued patience, patronage and support!

Feel free to contact our customer service department with any questions concerning this matter @ 877-797-7997.

Thank you from all of us @ RLC Labs, Inc.

4 replies

What the recent Medco scandal is actually telling us–i.e. there’s more to this story

medcoI have been watching with interest the past week about the justified ire of patients being expressed all over patient groups in the internet. And in case you’ve been too busy with school starting or end-of-summer activities, it involves one of the nation’s largest mail order pharmacies as well as the largest Pharmacy Benefits Manager (PBM):  Medco.

In a statement you can read right on their website, they state:

1)  there is a “nationwide shortage of porcine-derived desiccated thyroid”
2)  they are “uncertain about continued availability.”
3)  “ask your doctor if a synthetic thyroid medication, such as levothyroxine is right for you.”

In Medco’s direct message to doctors, they state;

1)  desiccated thyroid does not have the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)  Federal Drug approval”
2)  the FDA  “may remove any remaining unapproved products from the market.”
3)  the shortage is due to this “uncertainty”.
4) “the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologist recommends levothyroxine over desicccated thyroid, liotrix, combination of thyroid hormone, or triiodothyronine (T3) for the treatment of hypothyroidism.”

Clarification on their statements

If you are just now finding out about this,  do note the following:

1) There is not a nationwide shortage of all desiccated thyroid. There is a shortage of Armour because of its 2009 reformulation. (See my blog posts below about problems with the newly formulated Armour.)
2) Naturethroid by RLC Labs continues to be available. They are working hard to keep up.  See my post on Naturethroid.
3) Desiccated thyroid was around long before the establishment of the FDA, so they are grandfathered in and still work with the FDA guidelines.
4) There has been no statements by the FDA that they are removing desiccated thyroid.

An even more important revelation in this entire Medco scandal

There is actually an underlying message in the entire Medco fiasco that you should find even MORE disturbing: the continued  promotion of T4, aka levothroxine, as an adequate treatment of hypothyroidism.  And this is not just a faux pas of Medco, it continues to be the ignorant opinion of far too many doctors, medical schools and medical boards. All you have to do is look at what has happened in the UK with the Royal College of Physicians to see the idiocy abounding.

Over 100 years ago, desiccated thyroid was found to be an excellent treatment for hypothyroidism.  I give precise details about the first use of desiccated thyroid in Chapter 2 in the Stop the Thyroid Madness book. It worked!

But in the early 1960’s, the tide turned thanks to a batch of desiccated thyroid that turned out not to be what it said it was.  This is documented in the 1970 Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics.  And pharmaceuticals, especially  Knoll Pharmaceuticals who first tableted levothyroxine aka Synthroid in 1955,  jumped to promote T4-only as a “new and modern medication”.  (See page 41 and 42 in the STTM book).  And doctors and medical schools fell for it hook, line and sinker.

And to this day, levothyroxine continues to be purported as an acceptable and logical treatment choice for hypothyroidism.  But patients all over the world beg to differ.  T4 medications like Synthroid, Levoxyl, Eltroxin, Oroxine and others simply leave all patients with their own unique amount and degree of lingering hypothyroid symptoms, no matter how high you raise it.

I also find it hugely disturbing to refer to AACE (American Association of  Clinical Endocrinologists) as if they are the grand poopah of knowing what’s right for thyroid patients. They are NOT.  Millions of thyroid patients who have switched to desiccated thyroid, T3, or a combo of T4 and T3 will tell them hands-down that they have gotten FAR better results, and most especially with desiccated thyroid like the “old” Armour, and now Naturethroid.

Visiting numerous thyroid patient groups will reveal how patients feel about Endocrinologists they have visited throughout the years.  Their experiences are far from flattering. In other words, with a few exceptions, thyroid patients are NOT impressed with Endo’s.

Medco’s statements are definitely a concern for patients and range from presumptous to unfactual.  But those statements only represent a far wider problem around the world in the medical community.  Clinical presentation and wisdom has been thrown out the window by doctors.  So patients have to continue spreading the word about the far superior treatment of desiccated thyroid, and their problematic experience with T4.

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***50% off sale!! All STTM t-shirts are now on sale. I love sales. Not only do they help support this site, they are a great way to spread the word. Go here.   Did you know that Laughing Grape Publishing will send a STTM book directly to your doctor?

13 replies

Why Forest Labs had gotten away with a “newly formulated” Armour that is causing so many problems

Armour tablets

 

This post was originally written in 2009, and gives you great history as to the disappointing change that happened to Armour as reported by patients. But it happened again in 2015, and you can read that here: //www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/2015/09/19/armour-and-unhappy-thyroid-patients/

****************

Numerous and ongoing comments to my blog posts below about the newly formulated Armour are shocking and despairing.

Additionally, thyroid patients are crying out about the loss of being able to do Armour sublingually. (Was Forest Labs not paying one hoot of attention to thyroid patients the last few years in their praise of Armour because of it’s sublingual effectiveness??) Sublingual administration was a godsend for thyroid patients who had digestive issues, including gluten intolerance and Celiac, as well as those who needed to take iron tablets (which you can’t do at the same time as you swallow desiccated thyroid, but could do with taking Armour subingually)

So how in the world did Forest Labs get away with reformulating and producing a product that so many patients are reporting to be problematic?

It’s not FDA approved. As many of you may know, Armour desiccated thyroid, even when it was produced by a pharmaceutical other than Forest Labs, was around far before the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) came into being in 1938.  That’s why it does not have the designation of  “FDA approved” as do those drugs which were created after the FDA existed. It’s called an unapproved drug, but Armour was presumed to be safe and effective already.

From the FDA: Under the 1938 grandfather clause (see 21 U.S.C. 321(p)(1)), a drug product that was on the market prior to passage of the 1938 Act and which contained in its labeling the same representations concerning the conditions of use as it did prior to passage of that Act was not considered a new drug and therefore was exempt from the requirement of having an approved new drug application.

Because it’s not “FDA-approved”, it does not have an NDA, aka New Drug Application. An NDA is used by the FDA to establish if the pharmaceutical product is safe,  EFFECTIVE, more beneficial than side effects, and has in-house  “controls” which maintain the quality, strength and purity of the product. (Thanks to “Ben” the pharmacist for reminding me of this.)

So…without that NDA, Forest Labs is, and has been, on their own, including with the latest introduction of a newly formulated Armour. So you might say, WE as patients were the guinea pigs.  And sadly, we’ve been squealing and it’s a muddy picture.

The most important fact to state: USP (United States Pharmacopeia) desiccated thyroid is an effective and important drug which is changing the lives of a huge and growing body of individuals around the world. That was evident before Armour was reformulated, and is still evident with products like Naturethroid or Westhroid, which many patients are switching to.  See my blog post about Naturethroid here, plus RLC Labs comment about Naturethroid here.

But something has gone terribly wrong with the reformulation of Armour, and patients appear to be leaving it behind in the dust in favor of another great and effective brand like Naturethroid. And whether it’s the fillers are not, Forest needs to take a new look at their reformulation of what was once a GOOD product, and hopefully this time, LISTEN TO PATIENTS.

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69 replies