This is a first victory for the victims' associations of the thyroid patients . The Merck laboratory has just been forced to deliver to 25 patients residing in Haute-Garonne the old formula of Levothyrox, known as Euthyrox in Europe. The court of appeal of Toulouse confirmed this Thursday, June 8 the decision taken by the judges in November 2017 by the Tribunal de Grande Instance.

In case of refusal, the German pharmaceutical laboratory will be forced to pay each of the patients concerned 10,000 euros per day, according to France Bleu Occitanie.

Merck has announced in a press release to appeal in cassation "given the inconsistencies noted" in the appeal judgment.

A fight that goes back to March 2017

In France, since the modification of the Levothyrox formula by Merck in March 2017, three million thryooid patients have complained of significant side effects , such as mood disorders, sleep, hair loss, between other.

In total, 500,000 patients have since abandoned the new Levothyrox , some going abroad to find their old treatment, others falling on the alternatives produced by other competing laboratories on the market at the end of 2017.

To overcome this controversy, Agnès Buzyn, the Minister of Health, had asked Merck to import several boxes of Euthyrox in France. In total, 100,000 people were able to benefit from the latest tablets, until stocks are liquidated in early 2018.

Since November 2017, five drugs based on levothyroxine (the active ingredient of Levothyrox) have appeared on the market, including L-Thyroxin Henning from Sanofi and TCAPS from Genevrier.