An inquest has heard that an "intelligent and successful" lawyer with no prior history of mental illness died by suicide shortly after being prescribed the antibiotic ofloxacin. Alex Mulroney, who was in a stable relationship with his wife and children, had no known mental health issues.
Mulroney experienced a recurrence of a physical condition causing urinary and genital symptoms. His doctor prescribed ofloxacin after a first-line antibiotic had not cured his illness. He began taking the medication on December 16, 2025.
Late the following evening, Mulroney left his home in Reading, telling his wife he was experiencing significant discomfort from a rash and was going to the hospital, which was not true. In the early hours of December 18, he drove to a dual carriageway and sent his wife a text message expressing sorrow for his intentions. He survived an initial attempt to end his life in his car but returned to the road, where he was struck by a passing vehicle. Mulroney died at the scene from catastrophic injuries.
Assistant coroner for Berkshire, Ian Wade KC, stated that while the ofloxacin likely did not directly cause death, it "induced a determination to end his life." He noted that this is not the first fatal outcome linked to fluoroquinolone medication in patients with no prior history of mental health issues or risk of self-harm.
"Ofloxacin is a dangerous product, notwithstanding its benefits and widespread use," Wade said. He added that the current approach to warning about potential harms provides insufficient safeguards and inadequately informs both prescribers and patients of the dangers.
Wade has sent a report on prevention of future deaths to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and the British National Formulary.