Guest guest Posted June 8, 2004 Report Share Posted June 8, 2004 Mon, 7 Jun 2004 16:00:11 -0700 (PDT) Frank Lariam Investigation Here is a list of articles by UPI that discuss the damges done by the anti maleria drug " Larium " . Just to go to that site and there you will find a link to each story listed below. Frank http://www.upi.com/lariam.cfm Lariam Investigation Since March 2002, UPI reporters Mark Benjamin and Dan Olmsted have been investigating severe mental problems associated with Lariam, a drug that has been prescribed to 5 million Americans and 25 million people worldwide. The first article appeared on May 21, 2002 and reported that mounting evidence suggests Lariam has led to suicides. UPI obtained thousands of pages of internal drug company documents that showed it tracking increasing reports of suicide over a decade, as well as thousands of reports of severe psychiatric and neurological problems. Subsequently, UPI has published the series of stories below, documenting cases of severe problems among scores of Peace Corps volunteers that have been denied and ignored, and focusing national attention on a string of murders and suicides at Fort Bragg involving soldiers who have taken Lariam. Malaria-drug diagnosis for 'coward' GI The first U.S. soldier charged with cowardice since the Vietnam War is suffering from damage to his brainstem that likely was caused by the anti-malaria drug he was given in Iraq, a military doctor has concluded. Drug causing GIs permanent brain damage Six U.S. soldiers have been diagnosed by the military with permanent brain damage from an anti-malaria drug used in Iraq and Afghanistan, and health officials must reassess its safety, a U.S. Exclusive: Green Beret's strange suicide Early one Sunday evening in March, Army Special Forces soldier Bill Howell fed his 7-month-old daughter a bottle and fell asleep with her for half an hour on the couch. It was a minor moment of domestic tranquility, a contrast to his most recent five-month deployment in Iraq. VA probes long-term effect of malaria drug A decade after veterans first began complaining, the Department of Veterans Affairs says it will review an anti-malaria drug given to thousands of U.S. troops fighting the war on terrorism to determine if it could cause long-term health and mental problems. Pentagon eyes malaria drug in suicides The Pentagon reversed course Wednesday and told Congress it would look into whether an anti-malaria drug developed by the Army might be causing suicides, one month after asserting the drug could not be a factor. Army won't review medication in suicides The U.S. Army didn't investigate whether a malaria drug it developed could have triggered suicides by soldiers in Iraq, despite a new government suicide warning and complaints from soldiers, a senator and a leading veterans' advocate. Feinstein to Rumsfeld: Review malaria drug Sen. Dianne Feinstein wants the U.S. military to reassess its use of the anti-malaria drug Lariam, prescribed to some troops in Iraq, because of what she calls " growing evidence about Lariam's dangerous side effects " and complaints by troops that it has damaged their health. Navy coverup alleged on drug side effects A Naval Reserve commander who volunteered for the Iraq war says the military doctored his medical file to eliminate all traces of an anti-malaria drug that he believes made him severely ill, suicidal and aggressive - and that he has the before-and-after evidence to prove it. Malaria drug warning follows problems The Food and Drug Administration has taken the rare step of ordering that patients are warned directly of serious mental problems and reports of suicide linked to a common anti-malaria drug called Lariam. Anti-malaria drug cited in Illinois murder The lawyer for a former Marine convicted of murder will tell an Illinois jury next week that an anti-malaria drug associated with psychotic behavior and aggression triggered the killing, and he should be spared the death penalty. Bragg probes new domestic violence report The U.S. Army is probing allegations that another Fort Bragg soldier tried to kill his wife just after returning from Afghanistan. Canada MP cites Lariam in criminal case The anti-malaria drug Lariam played a role in the violent behavior of a soldier now on trial in Canada, a Canadian Member of Parliament said Tuesday. Former Canadian army Cpl. Christian McEachern is charged with driving a sports utility vehicle through the doors and into garrison headquarters in Edmonton, Alberta. Lariam's manufacturer denies that the drug's acknowledged side effects can cause violent or criminal behavior. Army Fort Bragg study faces scrutiny An Army report released Thursday saying a controversial malaria drug called Lariam was an " unlikely " factor in a cluster of killings and suicides near Fort Bragg, N.C., this summer has sparked claims the military is covering up problems with a drug it invented and licensed. " Our military said there is no problem with (Lariam) because they developed it, " said Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich. Army: War stress may link Bragg deaths An Army report said Thursday that stress on soldiers from the nation's war on terror might have played a role in the cluster of killings and suicides at Fort Bragg last summer. It also concluded that the anti-malaria drug Lariam was an " unlikely " link. Suit: Lariam drugmaker hid side effects A San Antonio couple has filed suit in New Jersey state court, charging drug giant Hoffmann-La Roche with " knowingly withholding or misrepresenting information " about side effects of its anti-malaria drug called Lariam US Army uncertain on malaria drug dangers The Army has told Congress that there is " sufficient evidence " to question the use of a controversial malaria drug because of mental problems, but not enough evidence to stop using it on U.S troops, according to a document obtained by United Press International. Drugmaker tells doctors of Lariam warnings The maker of the controversial anti-malaria drug Lariam wrote last week to more than 120,000 doctors and pharmacists in the United States to tell them of new warnings about the drug, including rare reports of suicide. The letter from Hoffmann-La Roche -- in an envelope marked " Important Prescribing Information " in large block type -- was sent to inform health professionals of changes to the official product information sheet that were made in July, Roche spokesman Terry Hurley said Tuesday. Congress weighs Lariam in Bragg deaths Members of the House Armed Services Committee said Monday they would take a careful look at whether a controversial anti-malaria drug might have played a role in a string of killings and suicides near Fort Bragg last summer. Several members of the committee traveled to Fayetteville and Fort Bragg Monday for a day of meetings with civilian and military personnel to discuss preventing domestic violence. Family says Lariam led to son's suicide A Marine from Long Island, N.Y., who served in Somalia in 1993 committed suicide seven years later, and his family now believes the anti-malarial drug he was prescribed by the military contributed to his death. His parents say James Patrick Farrell had no symptoms of mental or emotional problems during high school or in the years before his service in Somalia. Congress to military in May: Lariam use? A month before the start of this summer's string of killings and suicides involving Fort Bragg soldiers, a House Armed Services Committee member asked the Pentagon about possible risks to troops from an anti-malaria drug linked to aggression and suicide. Rep. Army seeks 'clarification' on malaria drug The U.S. Army wants the manufacturer of a controversial anti-malaria drug to clarify its warning of reports of suicide among those who have taken it. Ft . Bragg suspect said to be delusional One of four soldiers suspected of killing his wife near Fort Bragg this summer appears to be suffering from worsening mental problems, an acquaintance who visits him weekly told United Press International. Army 'pretty sure' deaths not tied to drug The Army says it is " pretty sure " that the anti-malaria drug Lariam was not a factor in a recent string of homicides and suicides at Fort Bragg, N.C., and it may be eliminated as a suspect, a top Army official told reporters Monday. Drug firm warns of Lariam suicide reports The manufacturer of the controversial anti-malaria drug Lariam has begun warning in the drug's official product information about reports of suicide. The company also now says patients should be told that mental problems -- such as acute anxiety or depression -- could signal the start of " a more serious event, " and they should switch medications if they experience them. Army investigating Fort Bragg killing link The Army is sending a 16-person investigation team to Fort Bragg, N.C., this weekend to see if the recent spate of homicides and suicides among soldiers there is linked to behavioral or medical issues, or to drug side effects, officials at the Pentagon said Friday. Four soldiers at Fort Bragg -- three of whom were special operations troops who had served in Afghanistan -- allegedly killed their wives during a six-week period in June and July. Army had 1996 Lariam warning Top U.S. Army officials were warned by 1996 that some special operations soldiers displayed such intense anger and erratic behavior after taking an anti-malaria drug that it scared family members and threatened to break up marriages, according to one woman who helped deliver the warning. Third Bragg soldier took malaria drug Friends of the three Fort Bragg soldiers suspected of killing their wives this summer say the men exhibited unusual anger and incoherence after returning from Afghanistan where they were given an anti-malaria drug associated with aggression and mental problems. Second soldier took malaria drug A Fort Bragg soldier charged with 1st degree murder in the death of his wife took an anti-malaria drug linked to aggression and suicidal thinking while serving in Afghanistan, and allegedly killed his wife just weeks after his return. Army eyes malaria drug in Bragg killings The Army will look into the effects of a malaria drug linked to aggression and suicidal thinking in its investigation of a string of killings involving Fort Bragg soldiers this summer, some of whom apparently took the drug called Lariam during service in Afghanistan and killed their wives after returning. " The Army Medical Department will investigate potential explanations for the recent spouse murders/murder-suicides at Fort Bragg, " said a written statement to United Press International from Experts question Fort Bragg investigation A domestic violence expert who advises the Pentagon said Thursday that the military should look into whether an anti-malaria drug associated with aggression and suicidal thinking could have triggered any of the recent incidents in which Fort Bragg soldiers are suspected of killing their wives and, in two of the cases, also killed themselves. Army troops in Afghanistan and other malarial countries are routinely prescribed Lariam, which is also known as mefloquine. Lariam connection to Bragg killings? At least one of the four Fort Bragg soldiers suspected of killing his wife this summer had apparently been taking an anti-malarial drug associated with aggression, paranoia and suicidal thoughts, United Press International has learned. UPI INVESTIGATES:Lariam and Peace Corps Scores of Peace Corps volunteers are coming forward saying that over the past 12 years they suffered crippling paranoia, anxiety, hallucinations, memory loss, suicidal behavior and physical ailments from seizures to vision difficulty because of the drug handed out by government doctors to prevent malaria. Many of those affected were medically evacuated and some were hospitalized because of problems volunteers said were caused by Lariam, also called mefloquine. Lawmaker slams drug company on suicides A United Press International investigation of the anti-malaria drug Lariam shows that manufacturer Hoffmann-La Roche blames suicides caused by its drugs on the victims, a U.S. congressman said Thursday. UPI Investigates: Lariam and suicide Mounting evidence suggests the anti-malaria drug Lariam -- prescribed to Peace Corps volunteers, travelers and U.S. soldiers -- has triggered mental problems so severe that in a small percentage of users it has led to the ultimate side effect: suicide. Suicides, attempts from FDA database Reports of 11 suicides and 12 suicide attempts associated with the anti-malaria drug Lariam were filed with the Food and Drug Administration between October 1997 and September 2001, according to the agency and a United Press International search of the FDA's MedWatch adverse events database. Most of those reports were obtained by UPI, under a Freedom of Information Act request, and they are summarized below. 2001-2003 United Press International. All rights reserved. Friends. Fun. Try the all-new Messenger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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