Antimalarial drug Lariam should not be given to UK troops, Tory MP says
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Version 0 of 1. A Conservative MP has called for an immediate ban on a controversial antimalarial drug given to British soldiers overseas. Lariam, the a once-a-week tablet which contains the active ingredient mefloquine, has been associated with psychosis, suicidal thoughts, depression and hallucinations. Johnny Mercer, the MP for Plymouth Moor View, told the BBC he had received dozens of letters from service personnel claiming they had been affected by the drug. He told Radio 4’s Today programme on Monday: “I’ve had a letter about once or twice a week from not only constituents but people all over the UK who have suffered or know someone who has suffered, they believe, as a result of taking Lariam.” Mercer, himself a former British army officer, urged the government to stop prescribing it until further research has been carried out. “I just think we need to halt putting this drug out there for our guys and girls to use it until a proper study has been done, so that we know and more importantly our soldiers and their families know that this is a good defence against malaria and they can feel comfortable taking it,” the Afghanistan veteran said. Lariam was developed by the US army in the 1970s, yet it was not until 1996 that the UK Committee on Safety of Medicines advised doctors to warn patients about the neuropsychiatric risks of taking the drug. By 2014, the European Medicines Agency had warned of the “predominance of neuropsychiatric adverse reactions”. Tim Notee, who had taken the antimalarial drug and was subsequently diagnosed as manic, wrote in the Guardian of how he spent months in psychiatric units and that he was “suddenly short of breath, very hot and then shivery”. Related: Experience: my anti-malaria drugs made me psychotic Dr Ashley Croft, who served in the Royal Army Medical Corps for 27 years, carried out two detailed pieces of research on Lariam and believes around a third of those who take it suffer significant side-effects. “If anybody was to ask me now should they take Lariam I would say definitely not – under no circumstances should you take Lariam to prevent malaria given that there are safer options available that will not cause you to run the risk,” he told the Today programme. The Ministry of Defence, however, said the use of Lariam was based on expert advice and pointed out that it was widely used by both civilians and the military. The MoD has a stockpile of more than 11,500 packs of the drug, according to records of a parliamentary question and answer session. Dr Ron Behrens, a consultant adviser on tropical medicine to the MoD, believed that fears surrounding Lariam were due to public concern rather than scientific study. He said that the MoD had taken the advice from Public Health England, which includes a panel of scientists who have “looked at all the evidence and think that the drug is the right course. It would be foolish to go against scientific evidence.” Behrens added that anecdotal evidence and the US decision to ban the drug was not a reason to stop giving it to British special forces. He said research among the military commissioned by the US Senate found no increased risk. It was not disputed that there were serious neuropsychiatric side-effects including bad dreams, he said, but added that although there were alternative medicines, such as daily tablets, the decision was taken to give service personnel what was most appropriate and easiest logistically. Manufacturer Roche told the BBC: “A recent regular safety assessment conducted by EU health authorities reinforced previous guidance that the benefits of Lariam outweigh the potential risk of the treatment.” |