Douglas Chapman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what instructions have been issued to medical or other staff in any of the armed forces regarding the consumption of alcohol while Mefloquine is being taken as medication.

Mark Lancaster

Neither the Patient Information Leaflet for mefloquine issued by the manufacturer, nor the British National Formulary (which provides information on all medicines generally prescribed in the UK), mention alcohol consumption when using mefloquine for the chemoprophylaxis of malaria. Guidance is, however, provided for patients with severe liver problems and other medical conditions that would preclude the use of the drug, and would be part of the clinical risk assessment prior to prescription.