A six-month inquiry into the anti-malarial drug Lariam has found it must only be given to service personnel as a last resort.
Lariam, also called mefloquine, is an anti-malarial drug that is known to have severe side effects such as depression and anxiety.
Between April 2007 and March 2015, over 17,000 people in the armed services were prescribed Lariam at least once.
There have been numerous reports of military personnel suffering extreme psychological damage after taking the drug, with cases of suicide, nightmares and hallucinations.
Major Mick Wallace, a military medic, took Lariam when he was deployed to Kenya in 1998. He says he has endured depression and suicidal thoughts ever since.
He called upon the military to prescribe alternative anti-malarial medication until Lariam was proven to be safe.
His pleas led to an inquiry by the Defence Select Committee, which recently came to a conclusion after six months of hearing evidence.
The MPs involved criticised the MoD, saying there was “strong anecdotal evidence” that guidelines are being overlooked.
“Potentially dangerous side effects”
This is a reference to the individual assessment that is supposed to take place for every troop that is deemed to need Lariam.
Dr Julian Lewis, the Committee chairman, said: “It seems quite clear that not only is the MoD unable to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for prescribing the drug in all instances, but a number of troops discard their Lariam rather than risk its potentially dangerous side effects.”
“It is our firm conclusion that there is neither the need, nor any justification for continuing to issue this medication to service personnel unless they can be individually assessed, in accordance with the manufacturer’s requirements.”
“And most of the time that is simply impossible, when a sudden, mass deployment of hundreds of troops is necessary.”
The MoD has said it will consider the report and respond in due course. It has previously stressed that Lariam is not a “first-line drug” and is only used when other anti-malarial medication would be ineffective or inappropriate.
A spokeswoman for the MoD said: “The vast majority of deployed personnel already receive alternatives to Lariam and, where it is used, we require it to be prescribed after an individual risk assessment.”
It is not known precisely how many service personnel have been affected by Lariam. Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Marriott, who gave evidence at the inquiry, believes 25% to 35% of those given the drug have experienced negative side effects.
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