Family Blames Soldier's Suicide on Anti-Malaria Drug

Susana Ferro, shown with her son Juan "John" Torres before he deployed for Afghanistan, blames the anti-malaria drug Lariam for his 2004 suicide. (Courtesy of Susana Ferro)

A report by Army psychiatrist Robert Ensley suggested that the influence of Lariam (Roche Pharmaceuticals' brand name for mefloquine) was a likely factor in the suicide.

"If toxicology reveals the presence of mefloquine, SPC Torres' case should be viewed in light of other suicides suspected to be associated with the drug," said Ensley's report, which noted Torres' symptoms began shortly after deployment, when his unit began taking Lariam, and appeared to abate on a visit home, when he may have stopped the medication.

Through a Freedom of Information Act request, Shaun McCanna, the filmmaker chronicling Torres's story, and Torres's mother, Susana Ferro, obtained Ensley's report. Army officials declined to comment on Torres's death.

Col. Alan J. Magill, director of the Division of Experimental Therapeutics at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, said the military is aware of the potential for adverse reactions to Lariam but has decided the risk is worth it, compared with the risk of troops contracting malaria in regions such as Afghanistan.

"Since mefloquine was introduced in 1990, there have been numerous well-controlled, randomized clinical trials and other case control studies that generally fail to associate the use of mefloquine with the tragic outcomes such as suicide that have at times been linked to the use of mefloquine," Magill said. "Every year, there are a dozen or so deaths due to malaria in U.S. and military travelers, so the threat of malaria remains quite real."

There are two FDA-approved alternate malaria prophylactic drugs, but Lariam is usually preferred by the military because it is taken only once a week. The others are taken daily.

"Long experience has taught the military that directly observed treatment is the only sure way to save lives and prevent malaria in the deployed force," said Magill, noting that research into other malaria chemoprophylaxis drugs is continuing at Walter Reed. "Directly observing a weekly drug is logistically much easier than directly observing a daily drug, and so mefloquine is often preferred by many in the field."

McCanna and Ferro say Army officials have not answered their questions about how Lariam may have affected Torres. McCanna thinks that Ensley's report was mistakenly sent to them unredacted, as two earlier responses to FOIA requests did not include it.

"They clearly knew it was Lariam early on," said McCanna, whose documentary "Drugs and Death at Bagram" will be released this fall. "But they weren't honest about what they found."