The Marseille prosecutor’s office has extended its investigation to “manslaughter”. The death of at least one woman is suspected to be linked to the new formulation of the thyroid drug.
New twist in the Levothyrox affair. According to The Parisian, the Marseilles public prosecutor’s office has widened its investigation to “involuntary homicide”, whereas until now it was a question of “endangering the lives of others”. The death of at least one woman is suspected to be linked to the new formulation of the thyroid drug.
“This new investigation shows that, contrary to what was claimed by a certain number of political leaders, it is indeed a major health crisis in which the victims have been completely neglected”, protests master David-Olivier Kaminski. , which represents nearly 200 families who have filed a complaint.
Undesirable side effects
The Levotyrox affair began in February 2017, when the drug’s formula was changed at the request of the ANSM. The lactose has been replaced by mannitol, in order to guarantee the stability of the product over time. Problem: many patients have experienced undesirable side effects (fatigue, headaches, insomnia, dizziness, joint pain, muscle pain or even hair loss).
“I believed in a cancer, I was in a really bad psychological state. I did some exams and my TSH (hormone that regulates the secretion of thyroid hormones, editor’s note) had fallen to a very critical threshold”, says Aude, 32, who has lived without thyroid for more than 10 years. “It was ten years that I was well and overnight, everything collapses”, laments the young woman.
10,000 euros claimed for each plaintiff
A total of 17,000 cases of side effects were recorded, of which 5,062 were classified as serious, and more than 500,000 people abandoned the new formula of the drug.
“Has Merck failed in its duty to inform? No, we are categorical”, defends AFP the legal director of the pharmaceutical group Florent Bensadoun. He indicates that an “extremely broad” communication plan consisted of sending “300,000 communications by post, fax and email, to 100,000 health professionals” at the time of the launch in France of the new formula.
Three million patients take this drug
In total, three million patients take this drug in France. And while some are now sourcing from abroad, the contested formula is going to be rolled out in 21 EU countries, drastically reducing treatment options.
Located at the base of the neck, the thyroid is a small gland controlled by the pituitary gland. Sometimes it produces too many hormones, causing hyperthyroidism. Conversely, hypothyroidism is the inability of the thyroid gland to produce enough thyroid hormones.
Thyroid hormones
Thyroid hormones are very important because they regulate the metabolism of cells in our body, control muscle energy and body temperature, modify mood, affect heart rate and motricity of the digestive tract, have a role in the use and processing of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins from food, and participate in the growth and development of the body in children. Thyroid dysfunctions affect nearly 10% of the French population.
