MPs have joined a fight for thyroid patients to get a vital drug after it was apparently blacklisted by health bosses over soaring costs.

The Echo recently highlighted the cases of two women who have been denied Liothyronine, a synthetic form of thyroid hormone, to treat their hypothyroid disease despite NHS guidelines stating those who really need it should get it.

Health campaigner Christine Papalabropoulos, 62, and nurse Sue Murray, 54, who are both from Wickford, are unable to tolerate the more widely used levothyroxine, known as T4.

Both women had responded well to Liothyronine, T3, but clinical commissioning groups and hospitals will not now supply the drug which has leapt from 9p per tablet to more than £9.

The steep rise occurred after it was debranded in 2007 and became no longer subject to NHS restrictions on pricing. As a consequence, the NHS’s annual spend on Liothyronine is now more than £34.8million.

The Thyroid Trust claims patients have endured depression, diabetes, heart problems, weight gain, high cholesterol and exhaustion from having this drug either taken away or not prescribed. Many, like Mrs Murray, are unable to work.

An NHS England spokesman said: “The NHS provides high-quality care and at the same time must ensure every pound is spent wisely. CCGs should follow guidance that has been published and offer liothyronine where it is clinically appropriate to do so.”

Dr Tayyab Haider, Medical Director for Basildon Hospital, said the hospital would supply the drug to those who need it but added: “It is deemed that Liothyronine is of clinical value to a small group of patients and prescribing is limited to consultant endocrine physicians. Based on these guidelines primary care should no longer prescribe Liothyronine. “

Patients are struggling to find any doctors willing to prescribe the drug, with some resorting to buying the drug online from unregulated suppliers.

MPs are now seeking answers, including Mark Francois, MP for Rayleigh and Sir David Amess, MP for Southend West.

Sir David vowed to raise the issue with Health Secretary Matthew Hancock, adding: “As a matter of urgency I am contacting the clinical commissioning group to ask how this overspend has happened, and what mechanisms they have in place to deal with the whole issue of the prescription of generic drugs, and what actions they intend to take against unscrupulous companies.

“The issues behind a patient being denied a thyroid drug are deeply concerning.” Finally, I will raise this whole issue as a matter of urgency with the Secretary of State”.

Basildon MP John Baron has tabled a written parliamentary question asking the Health Secretary what is going to be done to fix the problem.

Advanz Pharma, formerly Concordia International, supplies a number of generic drugs, including Liothyronine, to the NHS.

A spokeswoman said: “The pricing of Liothyronine has been conducted transparently with the Department of Health and Social Care in the UK over a period of ten years, with price increases notified in advance and implemented only after approval from the department. The department has the power to intervene in relation to the price of any generic medicine where it feels the NHS is not receiving value for money but has never intervened in the pricing of Liothyronine.”

The Department of Health did, however, refer the matter on cost to the Competition and Markets Authority in 2016 and a final decision is awaited.

A report into whether NHS guidance is being adhered to followed a House of Lords debate led by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath. The report has now been handed to NHS England.

Lord Hunt said: “The evidence is clear that there are some NHS patients who need to have access to Liothyronine. NHS England have accepted at a national level but the message just isn’t getting through at a local level.”

He added the situation is something which could be “easily avoided”.

Dr Krishna Chatterjee, Professor of Endocrinology and president of the British Thyroid Association, added: “The current uncertainty, with Liothyronine-treated individuals either being denied ongoing prescriptions or needing to source the treatment themselves at their own cost, seems very much against patients’ interests.”