Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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835. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will provide details of any reports commissioned by the Government into the anti-malaria drug Lariam; and if the findings of these reports will be made public. [9626/17]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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A Malaria Chemoprophylaxis Working Group was established in January 2011 and reported in April 2013. The Group was re-convened in August 2015.

The purpose of the Group is to review, inter alia, issues arising in relation to the use of Lariam, particularly in the context of the current and potential litigation. In addition, the Group was tasked with reviewing the use of the drug Primaquine as part of the overall medical treatment process for those deployed to malarious areas.

As with the Group's original report, the current report is being produced in the context of current and potential litigation and is, therefore, legally privileged. I can confirm that the Group is investigating various allegations surrounding the use of Lariam and has obtained advice from leading medical experts.