essential medicines

Essential medicines are the core set of drugs a health system needs to meet the most important health needs of its population. Think of them as the stock that should never be out: the medicines that, if a clinic could carry only a limited shelf, would do the most good for the most people. The World Health Organization publishes a Model List of these as a guide.

Medicines earn a place on the list by being chosen for their proven efficacy and safety, their relevance to the public health needs of a population, and their cost-effectiveness. The aim is that these medicines are available at all times, in adequate amounts, in appropriate dosage forms, with assured quality, and at a price the individual and the community can afford. Each country adapts the model list to its own disease burden and resources.

The concept reshaped how the world thinks about access to medicines, shifting focus from having the newest drug to reliably having the right drugs. It is not a claim that listed medicines are the only good ones, nor that newer drugs are unimportant; rather, it is a tool for rational selection and equitable supply, helping limited budgets buy the greatest possible health.