Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of expanding access to the drug Liothyronine T3 for people with hypothyroidism.

No specific assessment has been made. Decisions about prescribing rest with the healthcare professional concerned, who has clinical responsibility for that particular aspect of a patient’s care. Prescribing is informed by a range of factors, including any national or local prescribing guidelines but, ultimately, the decision on what to prescribe is made by the prescriber themselves, using their own clinical judgement.

NHS England’s guidance ‘Items which should not be routinely prescribed in primary care’ states that levothyroxine is the first line treatment for hypothyroidism and liothyronine should not be routinely prescribed. However, the guidance states that liothyronine may be recommended for individual patients who may not respond to levothyroxine alone. This guidance has been refreshed and stakeholder feedback on proposed changes were considered in the summer.

Guidance on the prescribing of liothyronine has also been published by the Regional Medicines Optimisation Committee and this is being updated at a national level. The Department understands this will state that it is appropriate to prescribe liothyronine for some patients and sets out how prescribers may determine this, and that only patients who have not previously been reviewed should be reviewed to consider future treatment plans. This document is still being drafted and further refined following stakeholder engagement.