Community hub
Recent from talks
Contribute something to knowledge base
Content stats: 0 posts, 0 articles, 0 media, 0 notes
Members stats: 0 subscribers, 0 contributors, 0 moderators, 0 supporters
Subscribers
Supporters
Contributors
Moderators
Hub AI
Essential medicines AI simulator
(@Essential medicines_simulator)
Hub AI
Essential medicines AI simulator
(@Essential medicines_simulator)
Essential medicines
Essential medicines, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), are medicines that "satisfy the priority health care needs of the population". Essential medicines should be accessible to people at all times, in sufficient amounts, and be generally affordable. Since 1977, the WHO has published a model list of essential medicines, with the 2023 list for adult patients containing over 500 medicines. Since 2007, a separate list of medicines intended for child patients has been published. A new list was published in 2021, for both adults and children.
Several changes have been implemented since the 2021 edition, including that medication cost should not be grounds for exclusion criteria if it meets other selection criteria, and cost-effectiveness differences should be evaluated within therapeutic areas. The following year, antiretroviral agents, usually used in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, were included on the list of essential medicines.
The WHO distinguishes between "core list" and "complementary list" medications.
This list forms the basis of the national drugs policy in more than 155 countries, both in the developed and developing world. Many governments refer to WHO recommendations when making decisions on health spending. Countries are encouraged to prepare their own lists considering local priorities. Over 150 countries have published an official essential medicines list. Despite these efforts, an estimated 2 billion people still lack access to essential medicines, with some of the major obstacles being low supply, including shortages of inexpensive drugs. Following these shortages, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a report in fall of 2019 with strategies to overcome and mitigate supply issues.
The original WHO definition in 1977 was that they were medicines "of utmost importance, basic, indispensable, and necessary for the healthcare needs of the population". The concept was mentioned in one of the ten points of the 1978 Alma Ata Declaration on primary health care.
In 2002 the definition was changed to:
Essential medicines are those that satisfy the priority health care needs of the population.
This remains the definition as of 2019[update].
Essential medicines
Essential medicines, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), are medicines that "satisfy the priority health care needs of the population". Essential medicines should be accessible to people at all times, in sufficient amounts, and be generally affordable. Since 1977, the WHO has published a model list of essential medicines, with the 2023 list for adult patients containing over 500 medicines. Since 2007, a separate list of medicines intended for child patients has been published. A new list was published in 2021, for both adults and children.
Several changes have been implemented since the 2021 edition, including that medication cost should not be grounds for exclusion criteria if it meets other selection criteria, and cost-effectiveness differences should be evaluated within therapeutic areas. The following year, antiretroviral agents, usually used in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, were included on the list of essential medicines.
The WHO distinguishes between "core list" and "complementary list" medications.
This list forms the basis of the national drugs policy in more than 155 countries, both in the developed and developing world. Many governments refer to WHO recommendations when making decisions on health spending. Countries are encouraged to prepare their own lists considering local priorities. Over 150 countries have published an official essential medicines list. Despite these efforts, an estimated 2 billion people still lack access to essential medicines, with some of the major obstacles being low supply, including shortages of inexpensive drugs. Following these shortages, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a report in fall of 2019 with strategies to overcome and mitigate supply issues.
The original WHO definition in 1977 was that they were medicines "of utmost importance, basic, indispensable, and necessary for the healthcare needs of the population". The concept was mentioned in one of the ten points of the 1978 Alma Ata Declaration on primary health care.
In 2002 the definition was changed to:
Essential medicines are those that satisfy the priority health care needs of the population.
This remains the definition as of 2019[update].