E-drug: WHO EML Committee agenda 31 march - 3 April 2003 (cont)
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In reply to Stein Lyftingsmo's comment please note that the last Expert
Committee on the Selection and Use of Essential Medicines, held in 2002,
discussed the use of the ATC Classification. The Report of that Expert
Committee (WHO Technical Report Series 914) is shortly to be published and
includes Model List medicines arranged according to the ATC classification
with their code numbers. The UNEDITED text of Committee comments and
recommendations on the subject have been on the medicines website since the
2002 meeting and are posted below. It has not proved possible to copy the
edited, proof-read version.
5. Format and presentation of the twelfth Model List
5.1 Section headings
Current section headings of the Model List, although not always completely
logical, are widely used by supply agencies and national lists. Any decision
to change these section headings and/or numberings should therefore be taken
with great care. At the same time, the ATC classification is increasingly
being accepted as a global system.
The Committee considered that the adoption and promotion of the ATC
classification, although widely supported and promoted by WHO, would only be
acceptable when essential information on the classification would be freely
available in the public domain, which is currently not the case. It also
noted that information on the 5-level code number of each item on the Model
List is probably less relevant than the logic of the classification system
itself. For this reason the Committee recommended not to add the 5-level ATC
code number to the Model List itself, but to separately present the Model
List in the full five-level ATC classification system, in addition to the
usual presentation. This approach would allow for a slow introduction of the
ATC classification and leave UNICEF and other organisations with the option
to maintain the old system or change to the ATC classification. The
Committee also recommended WHO to actively pursue ways and means to put the
relevant information on the ATC classification in the public domain.
8. Recommendations
8.3 Presentation of the twelfth Model List
1) The Model List should maintain its current system of section numbering.
However, in addition to its usual presentation the printed version of the
Model Lists should also be presented in the 5-level Anatomical Therapeutic
Chemical (ATC) classification.
2) WHO should actively pursue ways and means to put the relevant
information on the ATC classification in the public domain.
Dr Robin Gray
Medical Officer
Policy, Access and Rational Use (PAR)
Department of Essential Drugs and Medicines Policy (EDM)
World Health Organization
grayr@who.int
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