# \[e-drug\] 11th Model List of Essential Drugs (cont'd) **URL:** \ **Category:** e-drug\ **Created:** [January 15, 2000, 11:04am UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-11th-model-list-of-essential-drugs-contd/7059 "2000-01-15T11:04:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gasmanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e480ec/32.png) [@gasmanna](https://talk.edrugplus.org/u/gasmanna)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2000, 11:04am UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-11th-model-list-of-essential-drugs-contd/7059/1 "2000-01-15T11:04:46Z")
E-drug: 11th Model List of Essential Drugs (cont'd) --------------------------------------------- [Cross-posted from treatment-access@hivnet.ch. Thanks, HH] Dear friends, I think we should be very clear about the difference between setting public health priorities, and including medicines as essential drugs. We should be looking, in my opinion, for effective solutions for the HIV/AIDS epidemic which includes treatment. What we have now are medicines that are extremely difficult to get and manage for most people that need them and have limited efficacy. I believe our main problem in the treatment area is that we still do not have the treatments we need, namely effective, safe, manageable and affordable. Those products when available should be included as essential drugs. I agree with Richard in the sense that it is too early to have the therapies we have for HIV/AIDS included as essential drugs. Moreover, putting them in the model list would put enormous pressures on governments and will divert very scarce resources. The products available are not good or safe enough. On the other hand there is no doubt HIV/AIDS is a major public health problem and we need better solutions. I think we should continue to work towards having the available treatments, including anti-retrovirals cheaper, but we should press internationally to get better research in the areas of prophylaxis and treatments that can become real solutions for the millions of people that suffer and will suffer this disease and thus become essential drugs and hopefully vaccines. Nadine Gasman Mexico tel: 525-2510283 fax: 525-2512518 e-mail: gasmanna@netmex.com -- Send mail for the `E-Drug' conference to `e-drug@usa.healthnet.org'. Mail administrative requests to `majordomo@usa.healthnet.org'. For additional assistance, send mail to: `owner-e-drug@usa.healthnet.org'.