MALARIA DRUG ROW Irish Defence Forces blasted for continuing to give troops ‘dated’ Lariam pills that leave some soldiers with suicidal thoughts

THE State has been blasted for continuing to splash taxpayer cash on a “dated” anti-malarial drug for Irish troops that’s leaving some soldiers suffering depression and suicidal thoughts.

The controversial drug Lariam is no longer available in Irish pharmacies and has been discontinued for use by militaries in the US, the UK, Australia and Germany.

Around 50 former soldiers have taken legal action against the State for damages due to the effects Lariam

However, the Irish Sun can reveal the Defence Forces here gave out 1,078 of these troublesome tablets to our soldiers last year — 147 tablets more than in 2015.
In the past five years, the Government has spent €13,440 on the anti-malarial drug for Irish troops heading to Mali and Congo.
Lariam is a brand name for the drug Mefloquine, whose side effects include muscle aches, memory problems, mood changes, insomnia, ­anxiety, depression, paranoia, hallucinations and suicidal thoughts or attempts.
Irish troops take one tablet a week for two weeks before their trip, then take one a week while in a malaria zone and should continue to take it for four weeks after leaving the country, according to website Drugs.com.

Lariam is no longer used as first preference in the U.S, UK or Australia

Malarone is a safer alternative and is available for €2.27 per tablet, compared with Lariam’s €2.38.
However, Malarone must be taken once a day, starting two days before a trip and continuing throughout the stay in the malaria zone and for a week after troops come home.
A dose of Lariam for a two-week trip to a malarial zone for one soldier would cost the State €11.90 compared with the safer option of Malarone, which would cost €52.21 per soldier.
Dr Remington Nevin, a former US Army major and leading expert on Mefloquine, has urged the Irish government to stop their “stubborn” policy of using the drug as a first preference option.
Speaking to the Irish Sun, he said: “Militaries across the world have all but eliminated the use of Lariam.
“For Ireland to continue its policy of first line use of Lariam particularly when Roche, the company who make the drug, has withdrawn the drug from the country, strikes me as extremely odd.”

We’re talking paranoia, depression, mood swings, and suicidal ideation
Former soldier Anthony Moore

The Irish Pharmacy Union yesterday told the Irish Sun that Lariam was no longer available in pharmacies here for commercial reasons.
Around 50 former soldiers have taken legal action against the State for damages due to the effects the drug had on their life.
Anthony Moore, a former corporal in the Irish Army, took the drug on two occasions and says the side effects damaged his life so much he set up an Action Against Lariam group to help others hurt by it.
Speaking to the Irish Sun, Anthony said: “The side effects can come on there and then or it can come on gradually, which is what happened to me. We’re talking paranoia, depression, mood swings, and suicidal ideation. I have come across soldiers that have never even got onto the plane because they got it that quick and they got the mental side effects.”

Former soldier Anthony Moore started the Lariam Action Group to help others effected by the drug

He added: “This has affected my life in a big way. It turned my ­family upside down because we had to cope. They didn’t know what was going on and they just saw a ­different person.”
Anthony was 25 years in the Irish Army and took Lariam twice while on trips to Liberia and Chad. He feels the State is springing for the drug because it is the cheapest option available.
He said: “There are three anti-malarials in Malarone, Doxycycline and Lariam and there is a massive difference in price. Lariam is the cheapest and without a doubt the State are still giving it to the Defence Forces because of that.”
He added the reaction from other soldiers to the Lariam Action Group has been fantastic.
He said: “They were absolutely thrilled because they didn’t know who to turn to and they didn’t know what was wrong with them.
“With it all being out in the open now it is helping families. I’ve had many a family come to me and thank me for starting the group because they did not know what was wrong with their loved ones.”

Fianna Fail: Evidence shows Lariam is no longer fit for purpose

FIANNA Fail has called on the Government to change its policy on the controversial drug and only prescribe it as a last resort. The party’s defence spokesperson Lisa Chambers told the Irish Sun: “When we first started using Lariam it probably was the best drug at the time, but time has moved on as have other armies. “There is a lot of evidence out there to suggest the drug is no longer fit for purpose and should be a drug of last resort. “You and I can no longer go to our GP and be prescribed Lariam so why should it be given to our Defence Forces?”

But Defence Minister Paul Kehoe defended the State’s use of Lariam and said the drug was the first choice prescription for troops that travelled to sub-Saharan Africa.
He said: “The choice of medication for overseas deployment for both officers and enlisted personnel, including the use of Lariam, is a medical decision made by medical officers in the Defence Forces, ­having regard to the specific circumstances of the mission and the ­individual member of the Defence Forces.
“The Defence Forces Director of the Medical Branch’s current advice, guidance and policy in relation to malaria chemoprophylaxis is that in the case of sub-Saharan Africa, ­Lariam is the agent of first choice.

Sinn Fein: We've been raising Lariam issue since 2010

Sinn Fein said Ireland is behind the times by still prescribing Lariam. Defence spokesperson Aengus O Snodaigh told the Irish Sun: “This has been banned by a number of armies including the English and the Germans just last week. I’ve been raising this since 2010 in the Dail and there has been no explanation other than this is what the medical people say.”

“There are no plans to withdraw Lariam from the range of anti- malarial medications available to the Defence Forces.”
The Defence Forces state that they do not use Doxycycline as first choice because it has to be taken in the absence of dairy products for full efficacy and can have some gastrointestinal side effects.
Minister Kehoe also stated that Malarone is not the first choice for our soldiers because the drug previously was only recommended for use for 28 days in a row and the troops go out for six months.

Irish Tropical Medical Bureau - Lariam is a brilliant drug

The Irish Tropical Medical Bureau has backed the use of Lariam but says the drug does not agree with everyone and medical history should be consulted. Speaking to the Irish Sun, Dr Graham Fry said: “When you give your child a peanut for the first time you are guessing you’re not going to kill the child with a peanut allergy. “It’s the exact same with many drugs like Lariam because we don’t know how people are going to react to it.” He added: “The Army can use Lariam but not for every single person. “Would I give it blindly to three or four hundred people without checking their past medical history? No, I wouldn’t, but it is still a good drug.”

Source:  https://www.thesun.ie/news/310447/irish-defence-forces-blasted-for-continuing-to-give-troops-dated-lariam-pills-that-leave-some-soldiers-with-suicidal-thoughts/