This list beganwith 208 identified medicines and has grown to include 460 differentpharmaceuticals. WHO works with partners and Member States to strengthen regulation,including post-marketing surveillance, and to eliminate substandard andfalsified medicines. They are thelargest public expenditure on health after personal costs in many low-incomecountries, and the expense is a major cause of household impoverishment anddebt. High prices, misuse of drugs and poor or unreliabledrug quality contribute to this issue. However, globalized trade can undermine regulation, and in resource-limited settings especially, incidence of substandard or falsified medicines is growing.
GDG members were selected by WHO technical staff based on their technical expertise, their role as end-users (e.g., programme managers and healthcare providers), and their representation of affected communities. In the choice of treatment, WHO recommends OAMT to be used for most patients as the intervention with strongest evidence of effectiveness for variety of outcomes. Medicinal products containing two or more active ingredients are regarded as combinations in the ATC classification system and given different ATC codes from the product with a single component (one active ingredient). This will often give several classification alternatives and the main indication is decided by the WHO International Working Group for Drug Statistics Methodology on the basis of available literature and a qualified assumption of the most prevalent indication worldwide. The challenge occurs when a medicinal product (same strength and route of administration) is approved and used for two or more equally important indications, and the main therapeutic use differs from one country to another. For example, low strength finasteride tablets used for treatment of baldness are classified under D11AX Other dermatologicals and the high strength tablets used for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) are classified under G04C Drugs used in BPH.
Amala’s story: how to prevent antimicrobial resistance
“Together, we can preserve the effectiveness of life-saving antimicrobial drugs and accelerate progress toward ending these epidemics.” The new framework proposes a unified approach to prevent the emergence and spread of resistance and reduce its impact through integrated, people-centred strategies. Without urgent, coordinated action, it could lead to increased new infections and treatment failures and higher preventable morbidity and mortality, and undermine global elimination goals.
The WHO ASSIST package for hazardous and harmful substance use
WHO’s 6th Virtual cGMP Training Marathon concludes, reinforcing global manufacturing capacities Public expenditure ranges widely between nations, from under 20% of totalhealthcare costs in high-income countries to up to 66% in low-income countries. The price of medicine remains the largest impediment toaccess and the economic impact of pharmaceuticals is substantial. Access to appropriate medications is shown to have substantial impacts on community health and the related economic indicators. Universal health coverage
Access to Medicines
The first edition was published in 2013 and summarized the evidence of drug use prevention at the global level. WHO drug information provides an overview of topics of current relevance relating to drug development and regulation. The Global status report on alcohol and health and treatment of substance use disorders presents a comprehensive overview of alcohol consumption, alcohol-related… WHO recommends that essential medicines, including those that are controlled, be available to all patients at all times at a price that the individual… Access to medicines is essential for attainment of universal health coverage, which is central to achievement of the health-related Sustainable Development… More than 36 million years of healthy life loss (DALY) were attributable to drug use in 2019.
Since then there have been incredible advances in drugs for a wide range of health concerns including disease, mental health and other conditions. WHO updates guidelines on opioid dependence treatment and overdose prevention The UNGASS marked a shift in the overall drug policy discourse to highlight the public health and human rights dimensions of the world drug problem and to achieve a better balance between supply reduction and public health measures. About 296 million people aged had used psychoactive drugs in 2021 and about 39.5 million people are estimated to be affected by drug use disorders (harmful pattern of drug use or drug dependence).
Psychoactive drugs have different degrees of restriction of availability, depending on their risks to health and therapeutic usefulness, and classified according to a hierarchy of schedules at both national and international levels. This is crucial for mitigating AMR’s impact on public health and the economy. The critical priority pathogens, such as gram-negative bacteria resistant to last-resort antibiotics, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistant to the antibiotic rifampicin, present major global threats due to their high burden, and ability to resist treatment and spread resistance to other bacteria. Guidelines for the psychosocially assisted pharmacological treatment of opioid dependence (2009) In Drug Abuse Treatment many ATC main groups, pharmacological groups have been assigned on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th levels allowing drugs with several therapeutic uses to be included, without specifying the main indication.
Defined Daily Dose (DDD)
Guidelines and recommendations concerning medicines, biologicals, vaccines, medical devices, herbals and related products WHO Drug Information is a quarterly journal providing an overview of topics relating to medicines development and regulation which is targeted to a wide audience of health professionals and policy makers. It is estimated that worldwide there are almost 14.8 million people who inject drugs, of whom 15.2% live with HIV and 38.8% – with hepatitis C. Production, distribution, sale or non-medical use of many psychoactive drugs is either controlled or prohibited outside legally sanctioned channels by law. Changes to the index are made annually and a cumulative list including all ATC and DDD alterations made since 1982 is available here . For drugs where the recommended dosage differs for different indications (e.g. antipsychotics) it is important that diagnosis is linked to the prescribed daily dose given.
Guidelines
- This will often give several classification alternatives and the main indication is decided by the WHO International Working Group for Drug Statistics Methodology on the basis of available literature and a qualified assumption of the most prevalent indication worldwide.
- Evidence, including systematic reviews, about treatment of opioid dependence and management of opioid overdose will be presented to the GDG.
- This Centre is located at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) and the main activities of the Centre are drawn up in an agreement between the WHO Headquarters and the Government of Norway.
- In resolution S-30/1, the General Assembly adopted the outcome document of the special session on the world drug problem entitled “Our joint commitment to effectively addressing and countering the world drug problem”.
- Millennium Development Goal 8E aims for affordable access to essential medicines.Essential medicines, as defined by WHO, are those that “satisfy…
Strengthening access to essential medicines Millennium Development Goal 8E aims for affordable access to essential medicines.Essential medicines, as defined by WHO, are those that “satisfy… This report provides a synthesis of the outcomes of the first paediatric drug optimization exercise that was held for Malaria. The PADO for epilepsy exercise aimed to support the identification of short- and long term priorities for epilepsy medicines for the paediatric age group,…
WHO launches new framework to tackle drug resistance to HIV, hepatitis B and C, and STIs
Despite this transition, investment in R&D and other prevention and control strategies for CRPA remains important, given its significant burden in some regions. The fact that third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales are listed as a standalone item within the critical priority category emphasizes their burden and need for targeted interventions, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Changes between the 2017 and 2024 lists “Antimicrobial resistance jeopardizes our ability to effectively treat high burden infections, such as tuberculosis, leading to severe illness and increased mortality rates,” said Dr Jérôme Salomon, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Universal Health Coverage, Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases. These pathogens require increased attention, especially in vulnerable populations including paediatric and elderly populations, particularly in resource-limited settings. Medium priority pathogens include Group A and B Streptococci (both new to the 2024 list), Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae, which present a high disease burden.
High priority pathogens, such as Salmonella and Shigella, are of particularly high burden in low- and middle-income countries, along with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, which pose significant challenges in healthcare settings. The Framework builds on WHO’s Global health sector strategies and aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance. “Drug resistance threatens decades of progress in HIV, hepatitis and STI control. It emphasizes antimicrobial stewardship, stronger surveillance systems, and equitable access to high-quality prevention, diagnosis and treatment services for HIV, hepatitis B and C and STIs. This feedback helps WHO develop high-quality guidelines that reflect diverse perspectives and respond to the needs of communities worldwide. To ensure transparency and inclusivity, WHO invites members of the public and interested organizations to review the biographies of the GDG members and provide feedback.
- Opioid agonist maintenance treatment (OAMT) for people with opioid dependence is proven to be safe and effective in addressing a broad range of health…
- The system has fourteen main anatomical or pharmacological groups (1st level).
- Medicinal substances are classified according to their main therapeutic use on the basic principle of only one ATC code for each medicinal product (as defined by route of administration and in some cases strength).
- AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites no longer respond to medicines, making people sicker and increasing the risk of disease spread, illness and deaths.
- In the guidelines on community management of opioid overdose, WHO recommends that people who are likely to witness an opioid overdose, including people who use opioids, and their family and friends should be given access to naloxone and training in its use so that they can respond to opioid overdose in an emergency.
In the guidelines on community management of opioid overdose, WHO recommends that people who are likely to witness an opioid overdose, including people who use opioids, and their family and friends should be given access to naloxone and training in its use so that they can respond to opioid overdose in an emergency. These include reduction in non-medical opioid use, mortality and morbidity (including due to opioid overdose, HIV and viral hepatitis), lowering risk of crime and incarceration, better retention in treatment, quality of life and overall wellbeing. To address the issue, WHO has published guidelines for the psychosocially assisted pharmacological treatment of opioid dependence (2009) and community management of opioid overdose (2014). While some 64 million people globally are estimated to live with drug use disorders, access to treatment remains very limited, with less than 10% having access to it. It is crucial that people with opioid dependence and those at risk of opioid overdose have access to prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and care, which are of good quality, affordable, ethical and evidence based.
An operational handbook accompanies the guidelines, providing practical advice for large-scale implementation. Primarily aimed at health policymakers and National TB Programme (NTP) managers, they also support healthcare providers and technical organizations engaged in TB care. WHO’s work on antimicrobial resistance For example, antibiotic-resistant Mycoplasma genitalium, which is not included in the list, is an increasing concern in some parts of the world.
Psychoactive drugs are substances that, when taken in or administered into one’s system, affect mental processes, e.g. perception, consciousness, cognition or mood and emotions. English and Spanish versions of the publications are available. Both publications are updated annually and available electronically and in hard copies. The ATC/DDD guidelines and the Index were both published for the first time in the current format in 1990.
The list provides guidance on the development of new and necessary treatments to stop the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). These include opioid agonist maintenance treatment (or OAMT) with medicines such as methadone and buprenorphine, pharmacological treatment with opioid antagonists (such as naltrexone) as well as psychosocial support. In the guidelines, WHO recommends the use of a range of treatment options for opioid dependence. Since 1977, WHO has maintained a list of essentialmedicines as a means to promote health equity around the world. At the same time, antimicrobial resistance is challenging the effectiveness of many commonly used medicines in one of the most concerning threats to global health today.
For example, calcium channel blockers are classified in the pharmacological group C08 (see classification of verapamil below), which avoids specifying whether the main indication is coronary heart disease or hypertension. Medicinal substances are classified according to their main therapeutic use on the basic principle of only one ATC code for each medicinal product (as defined by route of administration and in some cases strength). The system has fourteen main anatomical or pharmacological groups (1st level). In Hanoi, WHO’s collaboration provides a rosy picture of health Digital version of Essential Medicines list (eEML) launched Promoting rational use of medicines
For enquiries, please send an e-mail to It presents a range of perspectives on how current challenges impact the manufacture, prescribing and access of medicines throughout the world and introduces newly-released guidance documents. Latest lists of proposed and recommended International Nonproprietary Names for Pharmaceutical Substances (INN) are also included. Over 3 million annual deaths due to alcohol and drug use, majority among men UN Commission approves WHO recommendations to place psychoactive substances under international control In resolution S-30/1, the General Assembly adopted the outcome document of the special session on the world drug problem entitled “Our joint commitment to effectively addressing and countering the world drug problem”.