What can patients do about the levoxyl recall?

  In response to Pfizer’s voluntary recall of  levoxyl, I have received many comments from young adult cancer patients and others living with thyroid health issues. Many have asked what patients can do to urge the company and FDA to resume production of levoxyl prior to the target date of 2014.  I believe patient pressure on Pfizer and the FDA will have no impact; unfortunately we must instead experiment with other thyroid replacement hormones, like synthroid, and manage the burden of their potential side effects.  Here’s why: King Pharmaceuticals manufactured levoxyl in their Bristol, TN plant until 2010 when they were purchased by Pfizer for $3.6 billion.  In August 2011, after conducting studies of its “Logistics and Plant Network Strategies”, Pfizer Global Supply announced it would close their Bristol plant by 2014, relocating elsewhere the production of levoxyl, among other drugs.  It is simply more profitable for the company to abandon levoxyl production at the Bristol plant and make the drug at another location.  On May 29, 2013, the Baltimore Business Journal reported on the acquisition of the Bristol plant by UPM, a Baltimore based company.  UPM will continue to manufacture some of Pfizer’s drugs at that plant for two more years, but  Pfizer has clearly stated that levoxyl will be manufactured elsewhere sometime in 2014. Coinciding with Pfizer’s new cost-saving manufacturing plan for levoxyl is their voluntary recall o...
Source: Everything Changes - Category: Cancer Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs