Using the WHO model list of essential medicines to update a national essential medicines list Since 1977, WHO has been working with countries to design the package of essential medicines as an integral component of treatment within the continuum of care, developing and disseminating the Model List of Essential Medicines (Model List). WHO is committed to supporting Member States in sharing best practices in selecting essential medicines, and in developing processes for the selection of medicines for national essential medicines lists (national EMLs, or NEMLs) consistent with the evidence-based methods used for updating the WHO Model List

WHO’s Essential Medicines List and List of Essential Diagnostics are core guidance documents that help countries prioritize critical health products that should be widely available and affordable throughout health systems. The updated Essential Medicines List adds 23 medicines for children

Cancer treatments: While several new cancer treatments have been marketed in recent years, only a few deliver sufficient therapeutic benefits to be considered essential. The 12 medicines WHO added to the new Medicines List for five cancer therapies are regarded as the best in terms of survival rates to treat melanoma, lung, prostate, multiple myeloma and leukemias cancers. For example, two recently developed immunotherapies (nivolumab and pembrolizumab) have delivered up to 50% survival rates for advanced melanoma, a cancer that until recently was incurable. Antibiotics: The Essential Medicines Committee strengthened advice on antibiotic use by updating the AWARE categories, which indicate which antibiotics to use for the most common and serious infections to achieve better treatment outcomes and reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance. The committee recommended that three new antibiotics for the treatment of multi-drug resistant infections be added as essential. Other updates to the medicines list include: New oral anticoagulants to prevent stroke as an alternative to warfarin for atrial fibrillation and treatment of deep vein thrombosis. These are particularly advantageous for low-income countries as, unlike warfarin, they do not require regular monitoring; Biologics and their respective biosimilars for chronic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel diseases; Heat-stable carbetocin for the prevention of postpartum haemorrhage. This new formulation has similar effects to oxytocin, the current standard therapy, but offers advantages for tropical countries as it does not require refrigeratio

The updated List of Essential Diagnostics contains 46 general tests that can be used for routine patient care as well as for the detection and diagnosis of a wide array of disease conditions, and 69 tests intended for the detection, diagnosis and monitoring of specific diseases. The List is divided into two sections depending on the user and setting: one for community settings, which includes self-testing; and a second one for clinical laboratories, which can be general and specialized facilities

Report of the 22nd WHO Expert Committee on the selection and use of essential medicines: WHO Headquarters, Geneva, 1-5 April 2019

Interagency Guidelines; Medicines and medical devices for 10 000 people for approximately three month.

All WHO essential medicines are covered in Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WHO_Model_List_of_Essential_Medicines, and items are translated in several languages. Increasing the amount, quality and languages of information on essential medicines through multiple sources- Wikipedia, formularies, guidelines- will help promoting the use of essential medicines across communities Accessed July 1 ,201

The Expert Committee considered 92 applications, including proposals to add 41 new medicines and extend the indications for six existing listed medicines, five applications to delete medicines from the lists, and a comprehensive review of the antibacterials listed in sections 6.2.1 and 6.2.2 and their use in the treatment of 21 common, priority infectious syndromes, five paediatric infectious diseases and three sexually transmitted infections. In accordance with approved procedures, the Expert Committee evaluated the scientific evidence for the comparative effectiveness, safety and cost–effectiveness of the medicines.