MoD announces check-up for troops receiving controversial Lariam drug

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed that the controversial anti-malarial drug Lariam will now only be prescribed to personnel after a face-to-face check-up.

The news comes after dozens of troops have claimed they experienced severe side effects including heightened depression and anxiety, leading to the Defence Select Committee launching an inquiry into the drug.

MoD officials have also announced that troops will be offered an alternative to Larium.

Lariam is a once-a-week anti-malarial tablet licensed for sale in 42 countries worldwide. It has been given to more than 17,000 UK service personnel at least once between April 2007 and March 2015.

However, an inquiry into the drug’s prescription found that the MoD had not carried out proper medical checks before the drug been prescribed, and in some instances, had used risk assessments based on medical records.

According o guidelines from Lariam's manufacturer Roche, the drug should only be given after a doctor has carried out a proper medical check on the patient.

In an interview with Radio 4’s Today, Conservative MP Jonny Mercer, a member of the select committee and former army officer, said: “The evidence is very clear, prescribing a drug outside of the parameters clearly laid out by the manufacturers is not acceptable, and that's what they were doing.

"Consequently there are a number of people in this country who feel their lives have been ruined by this drug when they shouldn't have done."

A spokesperson for the MoD said: "The revised malaria prevention policy will direct that all anti-malarial drugs are only supplied after a face-to-face travel health risk assessment performed by an appropriately trained and regulated health care professional.”