Check this FDA website:
http://www.fdanews.com/pub/wdl/33_31/international/
Here's another link:
http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/madcow.htm
[here is the fulltext]
Is There A Real Risk of Mad Cow Disease from Armour Thyroid?
An Update on Armour Thyroid and Glandulars
by Mary Shomon
With all the concern regarding mad cow disease in Europe, there's been
a corresponding increase in concern over the possibility of mad cow
disease in the U.S. I've received numerous questions from readers
asking whether Armour Thyroid, the natural desiccated thyroid product
derived from the thyroid glands of pigs, presents a danger of mad cow
disease to those taking this prescription medication. Readers have
also written to ask if Armour has become synthetic, or if the formula
has recently been changed.
To clear up any confusion, I contacted Daryl Wesche, RPh, Senior Drug
Information Associate for Forest Pharmaceuticals, manufacturer of
Armour, in February of 2001.
According to Daryl, Armour has had no change whatsoever to the
formulation of their product.
The ingredients of Armour continue to include the following:
Thyroid Powder, USP (active ingredient)
Dextrose, Anhydrous (inactive ingredient)
Microcrystalline Cellulose, NF (inactive ingredient)
Sodium Starch Glycolate, NF (inactive ingredient)
Calcium Stearate, NF (inactive ingredient)
Opadry White (titanium dioxide used as a whitening agent - inactive
ingredient)
The thyroid powder that is the active ingredient of Armour comes from
thyroid glands of U.S.D.A. inspected and approved grain-fed pigs. Only
animals that are approved to go into the meat supply end up in the
Armour product. That means that, basically, you would have the same
risk of contracting mad cow disease by eating United States pork
products -- such as ham or bacon.
It's also important to note that calcium and magnesium stearates,
which are found in almost all prescription tables and supplements of
all types -- are byproducts of beef and pork tallow. While Armour has
calcium stearate, most of the other prescription thyroid drugs also
contain calcium or magnesium stearate.
Over-the-Counter Glandulars May Not Be Safe
Where the public should have concern is with regard to
over-the-counter glandular supplements. The Food and Drug
Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agencies
have over the past four years prohibited the import of cows and cattle
feed from Europe. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also prohibited
all imports of rendered animal protein products from Europe. The one
area that is unregulated, however, a loophole that allows
over-the-counter glandular supplements to be imported from Europe.
These supplements can contain infectious parts of slaughtered animals.
Many of these products do not list their country of origin or the type
of animal and tissues used on their label.
Talking to ABC News, Caroline Smith DeWalle, director of food safety
of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said, "There is a
risk that prions could remain even in supplements that have been
processed because they are harder to kill than bacteria and viruses.
We don't know how to clean up the products to prevent the transmission
of mad cow disease. There is no safe way to assure the products of
these animals aren't affected."
One family claims that a Colorado woman's death from Creutzfeldt-Jakob
Disease, a variant of mad cow disease, was due to a supplement
containing cow protein.
Implications for Patients
If you are willing to eat American pork products, you shouldn't be any
more concerned about Armour thyroid, as far as risk of mad cow
disease. Caution is encouraged, however, with over-the-counter
glandular supplements, which may contain unregulated meat products
from areas of Europe known to have mad cow infected livestock.