National List of Essential Medicines: All You Need To Know About It
NDTV
The WHO said that essential medicines list can lead to improved access through streamlined procurement and distribution of quality-assured medicines.
The government has included 34 drugs and dropped 26 from the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM). The updated list was released by Union ministers Dr Bharti Panwar and Mansukh Mandaviya. The list now contains 384 medicines approved by the central authorities. Several antibiotics, vaccines and anti-cancer drugs will become more affordable by their addition to the list. However, 26 drugs such as Ranitidine, Sucralfate, white petrolatum, Atenolol and Methyldopa have been deleted from the revised list. The deletion has been done based on the parameters of cost effectiveness and availability of better drugs.
Also Read | 34 Drugs, Including Anti-Cancer Medication, Added To National Essential Medicines List
The drugs in NLEM are included in scheduled category and their price is regulated by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority.
