This is not good news for thyroid cancer patients who rely on the drug Thyrogen (thyrotropin alfa). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that they have found small particles of steel, rubber and fiber -- trash basically -- in vials of their drugs, including the thyroid drug Thyrogen. They also reported that this contamination could cause serious health effects for patients.

This is the second time just this year that Genzyme has been cited by the FDA for contamination of their products. In June of this year, Genzyme had to shut down a key production facility due to viral contamination. (Read FDA press release in PDF format, and Genzyme release.)

In addition to Thyrogen, other Genzyme drugs affected by the current contamination issue include Cerezyme, Fabrazyme, Myozyme, and Aldurazyme.

The FDA is not removing the products from the market, because they say that there are few alternatives to these drugs, but FDA regulators recommend that doctors closely inspect vials of any Genzyme medications, to check for particles prior to injecting them into patients.

MORE INFORMATION

Read the complete MedWatch 2009 Safety summary, including a link to the Information for Healthcare Professionals sheet

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Some thyroid patients -- whether newly diagnosed, or long-term patients -- find online support is an important part of their overall approach to wellness. Here is the information about online thyroid support groups, forums and listservs, where information and experiences are shared among patients.

If you've participated in online thyroid support, share your own experiences, recommendations, advice, and information about web/Internet-based thyroid support groups, listservs, forums, and other venues for online thyroid support. Feel free to recommend your favorite places for thyroid-related online support as well, and share your pros and cons about the online thyroid support experience.

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While much of the support for thyroid patients is online, even thyroid patients with limited or no Internet access need support systems. Find out how the steps involved in starting up your own community or local thyroid in your area in How to Start Your Own Community Thyroid Support Group.

Many thyroid patients could benefit from in-person support from fellow patients. And thyroid patients with limited or no Internet access -- including seniors (who are at highest risk of thyroid disease) -- need support systems. In many cases, however,local, community or in-person support groups need to be started, launched and run by patients in the community. If you have started or participated in an in-person thyroid or health support group, please share your advice, experience, stories, ideas, and thoughts about how to start, run, publicize and grow a community-based, in-person thyroid support group.

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The doctors call it "non-compliance." In plain English, it means "not taking your medicine." And if you're on thyroid hormone replacement drugs because you're hypothyroid, or have had all or part of your thyroid removed or disabled using radioactive iodine, or you are taking antithyroid drugs to control hyperthyroidism, your continued health depends on taking the prescribed thyroid drugs daily, as prescribed by your doctor. Even a day or two failure of forgetting your pills can throw off your treatment, cause fluctuations in your TSH level, and worsen your symptoms. That's why it's critical to remember your thyroid medicine every day. Here are 10 Creative Ways to Remember to Take Your Thyroid Pill.

Thyroid patients have many creative ways of their own to help remember to take their own medication, and more than 70 patients have shared their handy tips, tricks and ideas Find out what other thyroid patients are doing to keep from forgetting that all-important thyroid pill each day, in Readers Respond: How Do You Remember to Take Your Thyroid Medication?

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