The Lariam Tab

Today’s journey took us from the haunting Sharpenhoe Clappers, past the ancient Iron Age Fort, across the rolling Chiltern Hills, and into Welwyn Garden City, finishing at Roche HQ, Falcon Way.

This was the last of the long 20-mile days, and with just two short days remaining, the Cenotaph is now within reach.

Each step is a mile in memory, and every mile is a call for justice.

Arriving at Roche HQ, the manufacturer of Lariam (mefloquine), it was no surprise to find the building well and truly secured. The gates were locked, and with them, the opportunity for honest answers. One can’t help but doubt that Roche would have had the courage to face the real questions with integrity.

For decades, the adverse effects of Lariam have been downplayed, dismissed as rare, transient, or “just the balance of risk versus malaria.” Yet the reality faced by too many veterans tells another story.

The 2014 European Medicines Agency (EMA) Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) concluded there is enough evidence from safety reports, submitted literature, and the FDA to support a causal link between Lariam and long-lasting, even permanent, neuropsychiatric harm. Rising case reports only strengthen the suspicion of permanent brain injury.

Among the most devastating risks acknowledged:

-Self-endangering behaviour

-Suicide ideation

-Suicide attempts

-Completed suicides

It has been inspiring to hear so many messages of support throughout this 420-mile journey. Your encouragement has carried us forward, step by step, through every mile.

But alongside the encouragement have come the stories of those who suffered. Veterans and families sharing how their lives were torn apart often unknowingly after being prescribed Lariam. Many only realised years later that their struggles with mental health, stability, and identity traced back to this neurotoxic drug.

These stories are heartbreaking, but they strengthen our resolve. They remind us that this march is not just about the past, but about demanding accountability now, to protect future generations.

Day 20 marks the close of the hardest miles. With just two short days to go, the march will soon conclude at the Cenotaph in London, a solemn place of remembrance for ALL those lost to military suicide.

This 420-mile journey has carried with it the weight of memory, truth, and justice. We walk not only for those who were harmed, but for those no longer here to speak.

If you are near London this Friday, we invite you to join us as we conclude this march at the Cenotaph.

🌐 Learn more: https://lariamtab.com

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