ESSENTIAL DRUG CONCEPT
SUBMITTED TO: V. MRUDHULA RAJ
SUBMITTED BY: S. VIDYA SRI
REGISTER NUMBER: 622178102031
EESSENTIAL DRUG CONCEPT
Essential health care needs of a population. They are selected
with due regard to disease prevalence and medicines are those
that satisfy the priority public health relevance, evidence of
efficacy and safety and comparative cost-effectiveness.
Medicines are a fundamental part of health care and a well-
controlled functional pharmaceutical sector is a pre-requisite for
universal health coverage, but countries in South-East Asia face
numerous obstacles to medicines management.
An estimated 40% of health budgets in low and middle income
countries are spent on medicines, with much of the cost borne
out-of-pocket by patients. Widespread health system
inefficiencies mean that up to a quarter of spending on
medicines is wasted due to poor procurement and irrational use,
substandard and expired medicines. There has been under-
investment in supply chain systems and regulatory systems as
well as inadequate monitoring of medicines management.
WHO supports Member States by
Supporting them to formulate evidence-based policies to
ensure affordable access to quality safe and effective
medicines and medical products and ensure good practices
for implementation of these national policies;
Support countries to address priority and emerging health
needs, such as anti-microbial resistance or non-
communicable diseases by providing specific technical
support to develop national \medicines policies, essential
medicines lists, formularies and clinical guidelines to
improve rational use and to build national capacity for
effective regulatory systems and drug supply chain
management;
Work with countries to assess and monitor progress by
collecting data on medicines availability, use, assessing
regulatory systems and medicines policy implementation as
part of progress toward Universal Health Coverage.
The WHO has defined Essential medicines concept as “those
that satisfy the priority healthcare needs of the population.”
They are selected with due regard to public health relevance,
evidence of efficacy and safety, and comparative cost
effectiveness. Essential medicines are intended to be available
within the context of functioning health systems at all times and
in adequate amounts, in appropriate dosage forms, with assured
quality and adequate information, and at a price the individual
and the community can afford.
It has been realized that only a handful of medicines out of the
multitude available can meet the health care needs of the
majority of the people in any country, and that many well-
tested and cheaper medicines are equally (or more) efficacious
and safe as their newer, more expensive congeners. For
optimum utilization of resources, governments, especially in
developing countries, should concentrate on these medicines
by identifying them as essential medicines. The WHO has laid
down criteria to guide selection of essential medicines.
Adequate data on its efficacy and safety should be available
from clinical studies.
It should be available in a form in which quality, including
bioavailability, and stability on storage can be assured.
Its choice should depend upon the pattern of prevalent
diseases; availability of facilities and trained personnel;
financial resources; genetic, demographic, and
environmental factors.
In the case of two or more similar medicines, the choice
should be made based on their relative efficacy, safety,
quality, price, and availability. The cost-benefit ratio should
be a major consideration.
Choice may also be influenced by
comparative pharmacokinetic properties and local facilities
for manufacture and storage.
Most essential medicines should be single compounds.
Fixed ratio combination products should be included only
when the dosage of each ingredient meets the requirements
of a defined population group, and when the combination
has a proven advantage in a therapeutic effect, safety,
adherence, or in decreasing the emergence of drug
resistance.
Selection of essential medicines should be a continuous process
that should take into account the changing priorities for public
health action, epidemiological conditions as well as the
availability of better formulations and medicines.
Progress of pharmacological knowledge.
Recently, it has been emphasized to select essential
medicines based on rationally developed treatment
guidelines.
India’s National Essential Drugs List (2011) includes
348 medicines that are considered to be adequate to meet the
priority healthcare needs of the general population of the
country. The current is the 17th list, which has been revised
from time since 1977. India produced its National Essential
Drug List in 1996 and revised it in 2011 with the title “National
List of Essential Medicines”
Adoption of the essential medicines list for procurement and
supply of medicines, especially in the public sector healthcare
system, has resulted in improved availability of medicines, cost
saving and more rational use of drugs.
