The U.S Military claims there’s insufficient evidence to blame these four drugs for chronic illnesses experienced by veterans. The science suggests otherwise.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are known as Death, Famine, War and Conquest. One could say that in the U.S. military, the “Four Horsemen of Pharma” are these four drugs: pyridostigmine bromide (PB), mefloquine (Lariam®), smallpox vaccine and anthrax vaccine.

The public health page on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) website lists four uncommon exposures to medications and vaccines encountered by people serving in the modern military, and states that “some veterans have raised concerns about” these exposures.

The VA lists identifies the uses for these vaccines and medications, but doesn’t state how many veterans have raised concerns about them, or what those concerns are.

The VA does, however, conclude that there is insufficient evidence to determine a causal relationship between any of the drugs and chronic illness.