Hi Jaycee,
Norethisterone is not a branded pharmaceutical, it's a progestogen that is part of many branded products, like Evorel and many contraceptives. It has been added to the parallel export BLACKLIST, meaning it cannot be exported to other countries in the EU, in order to remain available to UK patients.
BeaR.
I don't know why there is suddenly this unnecessary fuss about norethisterone bear, which as I said is not normally prescribed separately as part of HRT!!! It's the oestrogen only and combi products we are most interested in as the progestogens seem to be widely available as far as I know.
As I have posted on another thread,i did read,but can't remember where that there was some concern about norethisterone's side effects and it sounded as if it was going to be not used much in future,and not recommended
I wish I could find it,it was somewhere among the reports about the shortages
The thread that you referred to jaycee and shropshirelass's quote which Jenna found on the thread about the Lancet paper at the end of August....is an extract from the International Menopause Society's response to the study. In fact nowhere in the IMS 2016 recommendations on HRT do they specifically say that norethisterone is not going to be used as far as I can see, so for the time being anyone who is happy with it can relax!
However the much criticised Lancet paper ( which is the subject of detailed comment on the thread jenna found so not really relevant to this thread) found no difference in risks between oestrogen and the 3 main different progestogens - ie MPA ( Provera), levonorgestrel, and norethisterone in increase in breast cancer risk. It has been known for some time that progesterone and the closely related synthetic dydrogesterone are likely to be associated with lower breast cancer risk than all these synthetics. The much criticised WHI study used MPA (Provera) and since then it is known that this progestogen in particular has been associated with increased risk - but that study was flawed anyway!
Let's not get too hung up about it eh? Many women thrive on any of these synthetic progestogens and it is thought that under 60 there is very low overall risk of breast cancer anyway.
Personally I don't like norethisterone, have never tried Provera nor levonorgestrel, nor would I, but I would take dydrogesterone if it were available separately!
Bear there are no generic oestrogen only or combi HRT products apart from estriol cream. I mean it would be good if there were but I can't see that happening any time soon unless there is govt/NHS intervention - I think Jeremy Corbyn promised he would try to initiate this in recent Labour conference.
Much of this is speculation and not sure we can second guess anything really can we? I really think that either we just watch and wait - or contact BMS members and put pressure on them to influence big pharma - if they have any sway at all, or contact the manufcaturers ourselves if we are concerned about any products. I think better to try to effect change or influence the outcome if we can. I am sure that BMS will be doing their absolute utmost to ensure that the widest possible selection of HRT types is available to us - but whether they can influence commercial decisions taken miles away - who knows?!
Hurdity x
Hi hurdity,
What 'fuss'?
I was only replying to jaycee. No fuss at all.
Are you implying that all we can discuss on this forum is HRT? I think many of us have daughters who are on contraceptives and some younger women with premature ovarian failure or in perimenopause have already posted on the forum asking for information on contraceptives.
Regarding the IMS quote from August 2019, what does the IMS 2016 recommendation has to do with it?
Regarding the 'much criticised' (where??) Lancet paper, would you mind posting where in the paper is stated that they 'found no difference in risks between oestrogen and the 3 main different progestogens - ie
MPA ( Provera), levonorgestrel, and norethisterone in increase in breast cancer risk.'?
'Let's not get too hung up about it eh? Many women thrive on any of these synthetic progestogens and it is thought that under 60 there is very low overall risk of breast cancer anyway.' I'm glad for them, but many other women have serious side effects, so this is not particularly pertinent to what jaycee and I were discussing.
Regarding GENERIC HRT, I'm well aware they are not available in the UK, but that's just a matter of time, many patch patents have expired this year, and no, it's not up to the government and the NHS to decide that, it's up to the pharmaceutical companies. The NHS will welcome them, I have no doubt about it.
I don't call it 'speculation', I call it thinking outside the box. I don't 'watch and wait', I like to gather evidence and draw my own conclusions. I'm not just worried about my own menopausal issues, I want to be proactive and try to help changing things, if they can be changed, for the benefit of every person whose quality of life depends on them.
BeaR.
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Topic: HRT supply issues update on all Products see link (Read 80697 times)