Read and comment on this story from the New York Times that says that Roche, the maker of a popular malaria-prevention drug, prescribed to thousands of U.S. travelers and military personnel, has placed a notice on the label of the drug that says "Rare cases of suicidal ideation and suicide have been reported though no relationship to drug administration has been confirmed."
Lariam is the most effective anti-malarial drug known and has been used by thousands of Peace Corps Volunteers over the past ten years. However, the drug's potential side effects are rarely reported and include agitation, depression and aggression.
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Labeling: Added Warning for Malaria Drug
By ERIC NAGOURNEY
The maker of a widely used antimalaria drug, Lariam, says it will notify doctors about reports of a link between the drug and suicide.
The manufacturer, Roche Pharmaceuticals, defended the safety of the drug but said it wanted to alert doctors about changes in the label.
The label says, "Rare cases of suicidal ideation and suicide have been reported though no relationship to drug administration has been confirmed."
A spokesman for Roche, Terence J. Hurley, said the company had changed the label after months of discussions between Roche and the Food and Drug Administration.
Lariam, generically mefloquine, has been used for 17 years to treat and prevent malaria. More than 25 million people around the world have taken it, the company said.
Mr. Hurley said there was no scientific evidence of a link between Lariam and suicide or suicidal thoughts, although Lariam, like other medications, could cause side effects.
Lariam's label has had a warning about the risk of neuropsychiatric problems since 1989, when the F.D.A. approved it for use in the United States, Mr. Hurley said. Those problems include agitation, depression and aggression. On the new label, the warning has been been revised and made more prominent.
Last month, officials said that medical experts were being sent to Fort Bragg, N.C., to study unusual domestic killings on the base and that they would look at Lariam to see whether it had played a role.
The drug is widely used by military personnel sent to regions where malaria is a problem.
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This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Special Reports - Larium; Peace Corps - Safety and Security