Just another manic Monday… https://www.chemistry.bristol.ac.uk/motm/lariam/lariamh.htm
Saturday, August 17, 2024 Courthouse News Service
Pharmaceutical companies face class action over side effects of antimalarial drug
The lawsuit claims tens of thousands of veterans were made permanently sick by the drug.
(CN) — A U.S. military veteran filed a federal class action lawsuit Thursday against the makers of an antimalarial drug distributed to military forces, claiming the drug made tens of thousands of veterans permanently sick.
The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of California by veteran John Nelson, accuses drug makers Roche Laboratories and Genentech of failing to inform the public of severe side effects of mefloquine, carrying the brand name Lariam, a drug given to U.S. service members to help prevent malaria.
The complaint states that the companies were aware of the drug’s effects, “including symptoms of paranoia, hallucinations, and suicidal ideations.”
“By 1994, Defendants knew or should have known that these adverse reactions were permanent and irreversible,” the complaint states. “Since that time, numerous scientific studies have confirmed the causal link between Mefloquine and permanent neuropsychiatric effects.”
The drug, which was originally developed by the U.S. Army and entered the commercial market in 1989, was marketed by Roche. In 2013, the Food and Drug Administration required the drug to carry a black box warning due to the severity of its side effects. Roche pulled Lariam from the U.S. market in 2009, but generic versions are still available.
The lawsuit claims the companies concealed the dangers of Lariam and “recklessly sold the drug as a safe and effective first-line treatment for malaria prevention.”
“Defendants had no desire to re-brand Mefloquine as a mere secondary or alternative option for malaria prevention, as that would have extinguished its hold on the market and strong demand for it by the U.S. military,” the complaint states.
Neither attorneys for the plaintiff nor the companies immediately responded to requests for comments made after business hours Thursday.
Shout out to: Me Stuff Aug 11, 2024 Boddhisatva Betty
“I hope you have written a substack with this info! Would love to share the information. This definitely needs to be heard. It breaks my heart. People just accept that all of this toxic garbage is safe. I am so glad you didn't take it!”
My Aug 11 post:
I was headed to India and had been prescribed Lariam soon after it came out. Docs were wildly excited about it...So effective! Weekly rather than daily dosing, etc. But a gut feeling and the high price tag made me dig into the details. I had already paid for it and brought it home, but after finding that very week that Lariam was being pulled from the shelves throughout Europe because of the dangerous side effects….suicides, psychotic breaks, etc. I called the Doctor and the pharmacist questioning the decision and requesting a change of prescription. Neither of them would work with me…rules and regulations and all that. So I printed out my findings and took them directly to the pharmacist. It was alarming to him and he took the medication back. Eventually Lariam was being pulled from shelves world-wide...everywhere but in the US...Wow.
We were hugely gaslighted. It was contracted for use in the military as the only acceptable anti-malarial…no exceptions! There were murders, suicides, attempted suicides, psychotic breaks and more. But NO amount of outrage stopped the military from forcing it as the ONLY med when there were older, safer alternatives...for years! Many committed suicide or had psychotic breaks after just 1-2 doses.
But wasn’t it supposed to be safe?!
Lariam (pharmacological name mefloquine) is an antimalaria drug discovered by the US Army shortly after the Vietnam War, and subsequently marketed worldwide by F. Hoffmann-La Roche. The first reported trials of mefloquine were in prisoners, and were performed at the Joliet Correctional Center, Illinois, in 1975, and at the Maryland House of Correction in 1976.
Writes Alice L
Wow! The drug wasn't FDA approved until May 1989!! My husband and the other Marines were given Lariam in late 1987 or early 1988.
“By 1994, Defendants knew or should have known that these adverse reactions were permanent and irreversible.’ the complaint states. “Since that time, numerous scientific studies have confirmed the causal link between Mefloquine and permanent neuropsychiatric effects.”
They tested it on children in Thailand…Of course, it was found to be safe!
In an area where multi-drug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum is a particular problem, more than 500 children under 5 years of age weighing > 5 kg were treated with mefloquine, either alone or combined with an artemisinin derivative, and followed up for a minimum of 28 days. The principal adverse effect was vomiting and this was associated with reduced efficacy of treatment (even when treatment was repeated). Later adverse effects occurred less frequently than in adults. There was no serious toxicity and, in particular, there were no neuropsychiatric side-effects. The high dose of mefloquine (25 mg/kg) required in this area is well tolerated by young children. It should be given in a divided dose of 15 mg/kg initially, followed by 10 mg/kg > or = 12 hours later. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8985524/
Ten yrs later, a little Christian mom was going on a missionary trip and was prescribed Lariam. Unbelievable!! I couldn’t believe it was still being prescribed! I tried to educate her and her husband (they were clients in my Thai massage practice).
"My Christian doctor knows what he’s doing! He would NEVER give me anything harmful!" she insisted. On her 3rd dose....major psychotic break, airlifted home.... never recovered. A perfectly healthy mom/ teacher in her 30s incapacitated to this day. They are still hiding as much as they can.
In August 2009, Roche stopped marketing Lariam in the United States. So why is it still available?
This morning I talked with a pharmacist to see if Lariam was still available. “Oh yes, but we use the generic Mefloquine these days. $91 cash price for 8 tablets”, she continued. We talked briefly about the side effects. (she didn’t know much, though she’s had a 30-yr. career.) I asked who was making the generic.
“Teva Pharmaceuticals. You know, when a med becomes a generic, the brand name item is often just dropped.”
That is not true… but that is what they are peddling to an unsuspecting public.
I always tell people to do research before taking any new (or current) meds. Often the simplest way to cut through the massive amounts of internet search material is just to simply type in the name of the medication, followed by ‘lawsuits’, ie: Lariam lawsuits or Mefloquine lawsuits. That will quickly take you to the other side of the coin in a “Just the facts, ma’am” kind of way.
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Since we’re on a roll here, my next 2 posts will relate experiences with Topamax and Motrin…
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https://rxisk.org/lariam-hell/
https://rxisk.org/the-strange-history-of-lariam/
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/014107680710011411
This is amazing and such important info! I am so glad you wrote this!!!! Shared!