Former Army boss Lord Dannatt apologises to troops over anti-malaria drug hell
Ex-army chief knew extreme side effects of pill due to son's depression but said Army's priority was Iraq and Afghanistan
FORMER Army chief Lord Dannatt has said sorry for letting troops take a controversial anti-malaria drug — after his son got sick using it.
He said he would not take Lariam himself, believing it has a “catastrophic” impact on mental health.
Lord Dannatt revealed it made son Bertie, 35, an ex-Grenadier Guard, “extremely depressed”.
Bertie was a civilian when he took it in the late 1990s.
Lariam has also been linked to hallucinations and panic attacks.
Lord Dannatt, head of the Army between 2006 and 2009, said: “When I’ve needed anti-malarial drugs, I’ve said, ‘I’ll take anything, but I’m not taking Lariam’.”
He apologised to troops on BBC Two’s Victoria Derbyshire.
Asked why soldiers had continued to be prescribed Lariam during his years in charge, he said the MoD at the time “hadn’t reached a settled view on whether Lariam was more beneficial or harmful”.
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"I suppose in that period we were focused on Iraq and Afghanistan and it probably slightly slipped off our mainstream radar."
He also suggested the MoD was afraid of a barrage of compensation claims heading its way if it admitted the drug had harmful side effects.
More than 17,000 were given it from 2007-2015.
He said at the time the MoD was unsure if Lariam was “more beneficial or harmful”.
Maker Roche said its benefits outweigh the risks.
The MoD said only a minority of troops receive Lariam.