An Armour Thyroid Shortage?

Last spring, patients and physicians began noticing a shortage of the natural hypothyroid medication Armour Thyroid. Chat rooms were bombarded: Is the FDA cracking down on the drug? Even though Armour Thyroid and other medicines made from pig or cow thyroids have been used for more than a century, they’re not approved by the FDA. According to FDA spokeswoman Sandy Walsh, the agency hasn’t pulled the plug on natural thyroid drugs, but has “urged all companies who market unapproved medications, including thyroid products, to submit applications for approval.” Walsh says she can’t comment on what the FDA will do if companies don’t comply.

Armour Thyroid officials say they’re working to boost their supplies but don’t know when they’ll have enough to meet consumer demand. In the meantime, patients are also reporting shortages of the natural thyroid drugs Westhroid and Nature-Throid. As a result, doctors and naturopaths are turning to compounding pharmacies, which make custom medications, to supply natural thyroid drugs. “We can still get the medicine, so patients shouldn’t worry,” says Holly Lucille, ND, a naturopath in West Hollywood, California.