After years of lobbying from Australian Defence Force veterans, the federal government has launched a Senate Inquiry into anti-malarian drug use in the ADF.
Some veterans, and their families, says the drugs - particularly Mefloquine - have been responsible for brain injuries.
The drugs were given to thousands of ADF personnel as part of clinical trials from 1998 through till 2001 when they were deployed to East Timor and Bougainville .
Mefloquine - also known as Lariam - has side effects that include hallucinations, vivid dreams, anxiety and depression.
In 2016 the US special forces banned its use among special forces after it was linked to the massacre of 16 Afghan civilians by a US soldier.
Supporting Information
Associate Professor Jane Quinn, Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University
James McCarthy, Malaria Expert, Queensland Institute of Medical Research
Anne-Maree Baker, former solider who deployed to East Timor and took part in the Mefloquine trial
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/the-roundtable/2018-06-11/9851606