Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Surgeon General of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces recognises the chronic neurotoxic effects on members of the Armed Forces and Veterans from the administration of mefloquine (Lariam); and whether they will be addressing the problems caused by those effects in the near future.

Mefloquine is effective in the prevention and treatment of malaria and is licensed for use by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, which regulates medication in the UK. Bodies such as the Advisory Committee on Malaria Prevention, the World Health Organization and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to include mefloquine as an option for malaria chemoprophylaxis.

The current product information for mefloquine states that neuropsychiatric adverse reactions may occur during treatment and includes warnings and precautions to minimise these risks. It also states that such adverse reactions may persist for months, or longer, even after discontinuation of the drug. It has not been established, however, that such adverse reactions may be permanent.

For these reasons, there are no plans to add an addendum to the Defence Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy Report 2017-2022.