Before continuing creating a list of drugs, we should clarify the
concept of "Essential Drug".
On my opinion "Essential Drug" concept should not be mixed or
combined with "abandoned medicines".
"Abandoned medicines" is a concept more linked to "abandoned
diseases" which are mostly affecting the poor in developing
countries. The management of those diseases therefore is not
profitable for the industry.
According to WHO "Essential medicines are those that satisfy the
priority health care needs of the population". This is a Public
Health concept. For example, treatment for rare diseases should not
be included in a National Essential Drug List, even if a doctor
consider it as "essential" for his/her work.
Let´s establish a criteria for any kind of list.
Kind regards
Pablo Alcocer-Vera
Pharmacist
Spain
Pablo Alcocer Vera <palcocer@gmail.com>
[Treatment options for rarer but important diseases can be included in National Essential Drugs LIsts, usually with a special caveat. BS Moderator]
1. From Valeria
I agree with moderator, especially when treatment is life-saving, easy to administer and highly cost-effective, thus in a context of rationing would not "steal" healthcare from anyone else.
Valeria
------------------------------------------
Dr Valeria Frighi
University Dept. of Psychiatry
Neurosciences Building
Warneford Hospital
Oxford
OX3 7JX
UK
2. From Pablo again
I would like to add to my previous mail that "as a general rule" we
shouldn´t add drugs for the treatment of rare (low incidence or
prevalence rate) "but important" diseases (vital drugs?). In any
case, on my opinion, we have to be very careful with the exceptions.
Under drug management point of view and with limited budget the ideal
EDL is that with no more that 300 to 400 drugs, then you can have
complementary drug lists for example if you want.
Maybe I am bringing the discussion to a different issue. It is very
interesting for me to know about those drugs considered abandoned and
essential worldwide. Just wanted to point that the criteria to
include a drug in this list is different here and there.
Regards
Pablo Alcocer-Vera
Pharmacist
Spain
palcocer@gmail.com