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The World Health Organization (WHO) has just updated its Essential Medicines List (EML) and Essential Medicines for Children (EMLc), by adding many innovative medicines, including many new medicines for multiple sclerosis, cancer, infectious diseases and cardiovascular diseases...
After the update, a total of 36 drugs were added to the drug list for adults and children, bringing the total number of drugs for these two groups to 502 and 361, respectively.
By including more clinically proven medicines on the List, WHO aims to ensure equitable access to a wide range of essential, quality-assured medicines for all, without overwhelming the health budgets of low- and middle-income countries.
1. Update some new drugs
WHO updates Essential Medicines List (EML) and Essential Medicines List for Children (EMLc)
For the first time, three drugs for the treatment of multiple sclerosis have been included in the Essential Medicines List (EML), namely cladribine, glatiramer acetate and rituximab. According to the WHO, these drugs can delay or slow the progression of MS (multiple sclerosis).
Another new addition to the list is the 'polypill' for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. This is a fixed-dose combination of several drugs, including cholesterol-lowering drugs, blood pressure-lowering drugs with and without acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin).
WHO has also included new medicines for infectious diseases in the EML, namely ceftolozane + tazobactam for the treatment of difficult-to-treat infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria; pretomanid for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis; ravidasvir for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection in adults (this drug is used in combination with sofosbuvir), and a monoclonal antibody for Ebola virus disease.
The updated Essential Medicines List also includes two new cancer treatments: pegylated liposomal doxorubicin – the first drug to treat Kaposi's sarcoma (a cancer that forms in the lining of blood and lymph vessels), and pegfilgrastim to stimulate the production of white blood cells and reduce the toxic effects of some cancer drugs on the bone marrow.
Two new cancer treatments added to Essential Medicines List
2. Changes to Essential Medicines for Children (EMLc)
The formulations of more than 70 drugs have also been updated to ensure appropriate dosage forms and strengths for use in children.
With this List, WHO has included therapeutic foods in the Essential Medicines List for Children (EMLc) for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition in infants and children under 5 years of age.
The WHO Essential Medicines List is a list of medicines that should be available in all functioning health systems. Updating the list has important implications for access to medicines. For example, the decision to add HIV medicines in 2002 has made them more widely available to people with AIDS in poor countries.
“Surges in prices and supply chain disruptions mean that every country faces increasing challenges in ensuring consistent and equitable access to many essential medicines,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “WHO is committed to supporting all countries to overcome these obstacles to increase equitable access.”
According to Health and Life
