Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

While I understand the Minister of State cannot comment on individual cases or even the 50 cases that have been taken, does he seriously believe Roche when it states it is withdrawing on commercial grounds? There is no way the company would admit it was withdrawing on medical grounds because that would open it up to a huge number of claims not only in Ireland but also throughout the world. It has not sold Lariam in America since 2009. The drug has huge implications which have been exposed in Ireland, Australia, America and elsewhere. Approximately 15 years ago American soldiers were operating in Somalia and Lariam was withdrawn because of the serious effects it was having on those in charge of heavy goods vehicles. There has been a question about the drug for many years, so much so that the Irish Army bulk bought other anti-malarial drugs. We do not know what happened to them because most soldiers seem to have been given Lariam. The Army bought 20,000 Malarone and Doxycycline tablets. What happened to them? Why were they not administered instead of Lariam which is open to question and which has serious side effects that have been documented throughout the world?

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