Essential medicines

Essential Medicines

Essential medicines (pronunciation: /ɪˈsɛnʃəl ˈmɛdɪsɪnz/) are those that satisfy the priority health care needs of the population. They are selected with due regard to public health relevance, evidence on efficacy and safety, and comparative cost-effectiveness.

Etymology

The term "essential medicines" is derived from the concept that certain medicines are necessary to meet the basic health needs of a population. The term was first used by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1977.

Related Terms

Pharmacology: The branch of medicine that deals with the uses, effects, and modes of action of drugs.
Public Health: The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals.
World Health Organization: A specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health.
Health Care: The organized provision of medical care to individuals or a community.
Efficacy: The ability to produce a desired or intended result.
Safety: The condition of being protected from or unlikely to cause danger, risk, or injury.
Cost-effectiveness: The effectiveness of a drug in relation to its cost.

Selection of Essential Medicines

The selection of essential medicines is intended to be flexible and adaptable to many different situations; exactly which medicines are regarded as essential remains a national responsibility. Essential medicines are intended to be available within the context of functioning health systems at all times in adequate amounts, in the appropriate dosage forms, with assured quality, and at a price the individual and the community can afford.