[india-drug] WHO Model Formulary

["Dr. Hans Hogerzeil"<hogerzeilh@who.int>]

WHO Model Formulary
--------------------


Dear Idrug participants,

We are all very pleased and proud to inform you that WHO has today 
Released the first edition of the WHO Model Formulary.
Text of the WHO Press release:

WHO RELEASES FIRST GLOBAL REFERENCE GUIDE ON SAFE AND EFFECTIVE USE OF
ESSENTIAL MEDICINES    -     Guide Promotes Consumer Rights and Patient
Safety

Geneva - In its efforts to promote safe and cost-effective use of 
medicines, the World Health Organization (WHO) today releases the first
edition of the WHO Model Formulary.  The formulary is the first ever
publication to give comprehensive information on all 325 medicines
contained in the WHO Model List of Essential Drugs.  It presents
information on the recommended use, dosage, adverse effects,
contra-indications and warnings of these medicines. Correct use of this
tool will improve patient safety and limit superfluous medical
spending.

Bad prescribing habits are very common in all countries of the world.  
They lead to ineffective and unsafe treatment, exacerbation or
prolongation of illness and harm to the patient.  In addition,
inappropriate treatment increases the costs to the patient, the
insurance system or the government. 

The new formulary is primarily intended as a model for national 
Governments and institutions, to be used as a basis for developing
their own National formularies. It is particularly relevant for
developing countries, where commercial and promotional materials are
often the only available source of drug information to health workers,
prescribers and patients.  The WHO formulary may also be useful for
individual prescribers - and for this reason it is available at reduced
cost for developing countries.

"Unfortunately, developing countries do not always have access to 
unbiased information about medicines," explains Dr Hans Hogerzeil, from
the Essential Drugs and Medicines Policy department at WHO.   "The
formulary aims to address that problem and provide a service based
solely on scientific evidence." 

It is estimated that only two-thirds of developing country populations 
have some form of access to essential medicines.  For those countries,
pharmaceuticals can represent as much as 40% of the health care budget.
Because of its considerable impact on the quality of care and the cost 
of treatment, the selection of essential medicines and their
appropriate use constitute the most effective approach to improving
equitable access to health care. 

This principle also applies to industrialized countries, where
questions of medical insurance coverage are always important concerns
for the public and central to policy debates.

The WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, recently updated to include 
12 essential antiretroviral medicines for the treatment of HIV/AIDS, is
compiled to focus pharmaceutical efforts on priority conditions and 
quality medicines that are the most cost-effective and safe, and as
affordable as possible. For instance, the vast majority of medicines
contained in the WHO Model List are well-known and well-established
pharmaceuticals which are off patent and available from many sources.

To make access to information as wide as possible, the WHO Model 
Formulary will be available on the internet at the following address:
www.who.int/medicines. A CD-ROM version is in preparation.

Contact :  
Hans Hogerzeil, World Health Organization, tel +41 79 249 35 09 
Daniela Bagozzi, Communications Officer, World Health Organization; 
tel. + 41 22 791 45 44/ +41 79 475 54 90.


Hans V. Hogerzeil, MD, PhD, FRCP Edin
Coordinator for policy, access and rational use
Department of Essential Drugs and Medicines Policy
World Health Organisation, 1211 Geneva
Tel +41-22-7913528
Fax +41-22-7914167
<hogerzeilh@who.int>




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