For the first time, WHO has added three new medicines for the treatment of multiple sclerosis to the Essential Medicines List.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated the Model Lists of Essential Medicines (EML) and Essential Medicines for Children (EMLc), by adding many innovative medicines. The new lists include many new medicines for multiple sclerosis, cancer, infectious diseases, and cardiovascular conditions.
Following the update, the total number of medicines on the EML and EMLc have gone up to 502 and 361, respectively.
By including more clinically proven medicines in the Model Lists, WHO aims to ensure equitable access to many quality-assured essential medicines to all, without jeopardizing the health budgets of low- and middle-income countries.
What’s New in the WHO Essential Medicines List?
For the 2023 update, the WHO Expert Committee on Selection and Use of Essential Medicines selected 85 applications, containing over one hundred medicines and formulations.
For the first time, three medicines for the treatment of multiple sclerosis have been included on the EML. They are cladribine, glatiramer acetate and rituximab. According to WHO, these medicines can delay or slow the progression of MS.
Another new addition to the List is polypills for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. These are fixed-dose combinations of multiple medicines, including cholesterol-lowering agents, blood pressure lowering agents with and without acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin).
WHO has also included new medicines for infectious diseases to the EML, namely Ceftolozane + tazobactam for treatment of difficult-to-treat infections caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria; pretomanid for treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis; ravidasvir for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection in adults (this medicine is to be used in combination with sofosbuvir); and monoclonal antibodies for Ebola virus disease.
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The updated Essential Medicines List also includes two new cancer treatments: pegylated liposomal doxorubicin and pegfilgrastim. The first one is meant for the treatment of Kaposi’s sarcoma (a type of cancer that forms in the lining of lymph or blood vessels) while pegfilgrastim can help reduce the harmful effects of some cancer medicines on the bone marrow.
Changes in the Essential Medicines for Children (EMLc)
WHO has included ready-to-use therapeutic food to the Essential Medicines for Children (EMLc) for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition in infants and young children. The formulations of over 70 medicines were also updated to ensure appropriate dosage forms and strengths for use in children.
Dr Benedikt Huttner, Secretariat of the WHO EML, stated that the List is an important tool for achieving universal health coverage.
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