E-drug: Lariam (mefloquine) and suicide
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[ Copied as fair use. KM]
New York Times
September 10, 2002
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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