The Sandbag Times Issue No: 20

26 May 2016
Warnings ignored by MoD over Larium
The Ministry of Defence has
been accused in a highly critical
parliamentary report of ignoring
manufacturers’ warnings of the
risks in using the controversial
anti-malarial drug, Lariam,
leaving, as a result, servicemen
and women to face severe sideeffects.
The help subsequently
provided by the MoD to those
who were affected by the drug
was inadequate and the system
of duty-of-care needed to be
overhauled, the Commons
Defence Committee has stated.
It has been revealed that the
report by the Defence Select
Committee was to call for
Lariam to be banned except in
very restricted circumstances.
The MoD now faces legal action
from hundreds of victims in the
military, many of whom say that
their lives have been shattered
by being given Lariam. Dr
Julian Lewis, the chairman of
the Committee, pointed out that
the high-risk of taking the drug
had been highlighted by its
makers, Roche, who had laid
down the “It is our firm
conclusion that there is neither
the need, nor any justification
for continuing to issue this
medication to Service personnel
unless they can be individually
assessed in accordance with the
manufacturers’ requirements.
And – most of the time – –that is
simply impossible, when a
Prince Harry admits to war flashbacks
Prince Harry who served two
combat tours in Afghanistan has
openly spoke out having
flashback. In 2013, Prince
Harry shocked reporters with a
candid assessment of the five
months he had spent supporting
ground troops as an Apache
helicopter pilot during his
second combat tour in
Afghanistan. In an interview
conducted with reporters prior to
departing Afghanistan, Harry,
then 28 years old, admitted to
killing insurgents. “If there’s
people trying to do bad stuff to
our guys, then we’ll take them
out of the game,” he said. “Take
a life to save a life.” That was
more than three years ago. Now,
Harry, who left the British Army
in 2015, admits that he’s still
struggling to cope with some of
the things he experienced
overseas. “I described it to
someone ages ago as one of
those slide shows that go
through your mind,” Harry
recently told Sky News. “If
you’ve got a good imagination
as well, everything that you see,
especially if it’s something that
is quite powerful, then that slide
is in there.” Harry was speaking
to promote the Invictus Games,
a Paralympic sporting event for
wounded service members from
militaries around the world,
which he launched in 2014. It’s
clear that Harry’s time in
Afghanistan continues to shape
the way he perceives himself.
Royalty or not, he’s still a
combat veteran, albeit an
extraordinarily influential one.
Of the wounded soldiers that
competed in the Invictus Games
this year, he said: “You know
there are images I’ve been lucky
enough not to see, but there
have been images that I’ve been
unfortunate to see, nothing like
some of these guys.” Prince
Harry continues to recognise
and help veterans with PTSD.
sudden, mass deployment of
hundreds of troops is necessary.”
The report strongly
recommended that Lariam
should only be prescribed under
strict stipulations. It should only
be given to those who cannot
tolerate alternative medication,
only after a choice has been
offered between drugs and then
only after a face-to-face risk
assessment had been carried out.
The law firm Hilary Meredith
Solicitors say they have already
been contacted by 470 former
military personnel prescribed
Lariam who have suffered from
a range of side effects including
hallucinations, severe
depression, sleep deprivation
and anxiety. Read more here.
Veteran set for epic sailing challenge
AN AIR crewman from Sticker
medically discharged from the
Navy after having a “nasty”
accident has been given “a new
lease of life” as he prepares to
embark on a 2,000 trip around
the coast of Britain next
month. Eddie Wrigglesworth is
one of a chosen few who will
harness the power of the wind
on June 1 when they sail 2,200
miles as part of Turn to
Starboard’s Round Britain
Challenge 2016. Turn to
Starboard is a charity based in
Cornwall using Royal Yachting
Association (RYA) courses to
support armed forces personnel
- serving or retired - who have
been affected by military
operations. Eddie, 33, has lost
all movement in his wrist after
having it fused back together
following an accident when he
was winched down from a
helicopter onto a boat in rough
seas. His hand was crushed by
the boat. Read more here.
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