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Conservative MPs call for Mefloquine inquiry

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Conservative MPs call for inquiry as veterans, families seek acknowledgement in malaria drug lawsuit

...Elms started researching mefloquine after Brad died. A pharmacist by trade, Elms said she was shocked at what she learned. She said soldiers like Brad were given the unlicenced drug as part of a clinical trial and wouldn’t have been able to say no...

...“Our assessment of the literature is that there remain many unanswered questions around this hypothesis. The evidence supporting it is insufficient and has been challenged by many experts,” the surgeon general told parliamentarians, adding the military is focused on helping to treat members’ health issues regardless of whether they took mefloquine or not...

...Nevin, who has been retained by the law firm representing claimants, said the drug shouldn’t be used in military settings because the symptoms are easy to confuse with the stress of deployment. He said the drug doesn’t affect everyone, but those who are affected should stop taking it immediately...

...The House of Commons Veterans Affairs Committee’s main report recommends the government recognize the findings of a major forthcoming American scientific study, and if the study supports it, possibly implement a screening program for CAF members who took mefloquine. It also calls on the government to acknowledge the possibility that short-term mefloquine effects could have “indirectly” led to permanent disabilities...

More at link:

https://globalnews.ca/news/5404621/conservative-mps-inquiry-malaria-drug-lawsuit/
 
And, presented yesterday (19 Jun 2019) to the House of Commons, "EFFECTS OF MEFLOQUINE USE AMONG CANADIAN VETERANS, Report of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs" - here's the list of Committee recommendations ...
... Recommendation 1

That Veterans Affairs Canada commit to recognizing the findings of the study conducted by the U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, regardless of whether they strengthen or weaken the hypothesis that there is a causal link between mefloquine and certain long-term neuropsychiatric effects.

Recommendation 2

That, should the findings of the ad hoc committee of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine on the long-term effects of mefloquine justify it, Veterans Affairs Canada, together with the Department of National Defence, task an independent research organization with implementing a systematic screening program for military personnel and veterans who may be experiencing the long-term effects of mefloquine.

Recommendation 3

That Veterans Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence recognize that certain known short-term side effects of mefloquine could have led, indirectly, to permanent disabilities among certain veterans ...
From the report, dissenting opinions from the Conservatives ....
CPC Recommendations:

    That the Government of Canada notify all veterans who were administered Mefloquine about the potential side effects of the drug.
    The government conduct an independent inquiry to study the effects of the anti-malarial drug mefloquine on members of the Canadian Armed Forces.
... and the NDP
... the NDP recommends:

That Veterans Affairs Canada, together with the Department of National Defence, task an independent research organization with implementing a systematic screening program for military personnel and veterans who may be experiencing the long-term effects of mefloquine.

(...)

That Veterans Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence publicly acknowledge that mefloquine was improperly prescribed and administered to Canadian Armed Forces members during various deployments and issue a formal apology to all those who have been affected.

(...)

That Veterans Affairs Canada create and disseminate a public awareness campaign on the suspected long-term effects of mefloquine toxicity with specific information campaigns for healthcare providers and veterans so that healthcare providers, veterans, and the Canadian public at large, have the necessary information to address this issue.

(...)

That Veterans Affairs Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, establish and fund a study to determine the best possible treatments to manage and/or cure the long-term effects of mefloquine exposure ...

More on what the Committee heard here, and lots of army.ca mefloquine backstory/discussion (5 pages starting in 2004) here -- probably worth a merge once folks read more about these latest developments.
 
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