John Cummins, M.P. Delta-South Richmond www.johncummins.ca

News Release

Mefloquine and Suicide
Numbers A Cause of Concern

OTTAWA- "The adverse reaction reports compiled for mefloquine by Health Canada paint a troubling picture of problems associated with the anti-malarial drug," said John Cummins, M.P. (Delta-South Richmond).

Health Canada monitors adverse reactions to licensed drugs marketed in Canada. Adverse reaction reports are analyzed to discover health product safety risks.

The Health Canada database contains extensive reporting of adverse reactions involving the anti-malarial drug mefloquine. The database lists one murder associated with the drug.

Health Canada has identified a surprising number of suicide attempts associated with mefloquine.

• 2 of the 6 suspected adverse reaction reports in 2000 for mefloquine involved suicide attempts. (33% of the cases reported)

• 1 of the 9 suspected adverse reaction reports in 2002 for mefloquine involved a suicide attempt. (11% of the cases reported)

• 3 of the 7 suspected adverse reaction reports in 2003 for mefloquine involved suicide attempts. (43% of the cases reported)

"These suicide attempts may only to be the tip of the iceberg. Mefloquine is used when traveling to areas where malaria is a threat; as such most of the adverse reactions occur when Canadians are abroad and as a result their troubles are never reported to Health Canada. The statistics on adverse reactions to mefloquine are further compromised by the refusal of the Canadian Forces to consistently report to Health Canada the adverse reactions to the drug suffered by Canadian soldiers."

"As a result the actual number of suicide attempts and deaths associated with the drug may well be significantly higher that those reported by Health Canada," said Cummins. "Health Canada must ensure that Canadians who take mefloquine are adequately informed of the possible risks."

Contact: John Cummins, M.P.
(613) 992-2957, (cell) (604) 970-0937, (604) 940-8040
or www.johncummins.ca