Free Republic

(NewsNation) — Major Pharmaceuticals is voluntarily recalling a popular thyroid medication, federal regulators announced this month. The Levothyroxine Sodium Tablets were recalled because they are subpotent, meaning they are not fully effective, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said. The medication is used to treat hypothyroidism and goiter, among other conditions, according to the Mayo Clinic. The recall was designated a Class II on July 17, meaning the tablets may cause temporary adverse health consequences, the FDA said. Major Pharmaceuticals packaged and distributed the recalled medication nationwide, and Cardinal Health also distributed some of it. The recalled tablets were packaged...

A popular thyroid medication taken by 23 million Americans may be associated with bone loss, a startling new study finds. Levothyroxine — marketed under brand names such as Synthroid — is the second-most commonly prescribed medication among older adults in the US. It’s consumed by about 7% of the US population. The drug addresses hypothyroidism, also known as an underactive thyroid, by replacing or providing more of a thyroid hormone naturally produced by the body. The study authors, from Johns Hopkins Medicine, linked levothyroxine use to a greater loss of bone mass and bone density over six years — even...