|
The Working Group on Access to Medicines and Treatments has requested the Central government to urgently revise the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), pointing out that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has revised the Model List of Essential Medicines on two occasions, with more medicines added to the list, after the current NLEM was notified in India in 2022.
"As a nation committed to universal access and the right to health, it is imperative that this matter receives immediate attention. The World Health Organization (WHO) has revised its Model List of Essential Medicines on two occasions, in 2023 and 2025, incorporating significant additions and updates, after the current National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) was notified in 2022," said the Organisation in a letter to Dr Rajiv Bahl, chairperson, Standing National Committee on Medicines (SNCM), under the Ministry of Health.
The WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (WHO List of Essential Medicines) serves as the basis for national medicine policies and ensures that life-saving treatments are accessible to all populations, regardless of economic status. The WHO List of Essential Medicines, 2025 has a total of 523 medicines but the number of medicines listed in NLEM, 2022 is 384, said the Organisation providing a list with the names of medicines mandated in the WHO Essential Medicine List that are absent from NLEM, 2022.
These omissions include critical medicines for the treatment of noncommunicable diseases such as cancer and diabetes. For instance, 17 active cancer-treating agents and four supportive agents for cancer treatment are also missing from the NLEM.
The list also includes nine monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that are also missing from the NLEM, 2022. These mAbs have been proven critical for targeted therapies in many diseases, especially cancer. While recognizing the fact that NLEM should be based on the public health priorities of India, bringing many of these critical medicines under NLEM will make sure that these essential medicines are accessible to people and will also make them more affordable thereby advancing both constitutional guarantees and India’s global commitments to health equity, said the Organisation.
"We therefore urge the immediate initiation of a transparent, time-bound, and conflict of interest-free process to revise the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), ensuring that it reflects the latest evidence, public health priorities, and the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines. Timely action is essential to safeguard the constitutional guarantee of the Right to Life for it ensures equitable access to essential medicines for all citizens," it added.
The prolonged delay in revising the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) has denied millions of citizens free access to newly recognized essential medicines within the public health system, while also restricting affordable access in the private sector. Such a delay carries profound constitutional and human rights implications. The Supreme Court of India has consistently affirmed, through landmark judgments, that the Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution encompasses the right to health and the right to access medical treatment. In this light, the continued non-revision of the NLEM is not a mere administrative lapse but a potential violation of this fundamental right.
Moreover, timely revision of the NLEM is integral to India’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 3 on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages. The Organisation also offered its assistance to the Ministry in the process of revision in an appropriate manner.
|