India’s essential medicine list lags behind global benchmark; unrevised in 4 years, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• India's National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) has not been revised for four years, last updated in 2022.
• The Working Group on Access to Medicines and Treatments has urged the government for an urgent revision of the NLEM.
• The WHO Model List of Essential Medicines has been revised twice in the same period (2023 and 2025), now listing 523 medicines compared to India's 384.
• The outdated NLEM particularly affects patients with cancer and diabetes, missing 17 active cancer-treating agents and nine monoclonal antibodies present on the WHO list.

Detailed Insights:

• The NLEM is curated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to prioritize drugs for India’s critical healthcare needs.
• Medicines on the NLEM are typically dispensed free by government hospitals and are subject to a strict price ceiling enforced by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority.
• The WHO Model List of Essential Medicines serves as a global benchmark for essential drugs, guiding countries in their own medicine selections.
• The civil society group emphasizes that a timely revision is crucial to uphold the constitutional Right to Life by ensuring equitable access to essential medicines for all citizens.
• The working group advocates for a transparent, time-bound, and conflict of interest-free process for the NLEM revision.

Key Concepts Involved:

• National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM): A list of drugs compiled by the Indian government to meet the priority healthcare needs of the population.
• WHO Model List of Essential Medicines: A global guide by the World Health Organization identifying medicines that should be available in all health systems.
• National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA): A government regulatory body that controls the prices of pharmaceutical drugs in India.
• Monoclonal Antibodies: Laboratory-produced molecules engineered to mimic antibodies, used to target specific cells, often in cancer treatment.
• Right to Life: A fundamental right guaranteed under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, encompassing the right to live with human dignity, including access to healthcare.