World Health Organization

Citation

(2003), "World Health Organization", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 16 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2003.06216aab.001

World Health Organization

World Health Organization

WHO releases first global reference guide on safe and effective use of essential medicinesKeywords: Drug information, WHO, Medical products

In its efforts to promote the safe and cost-effective use of medicines, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released the WHO Model Formulary, 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.

WHO says that bad prescribing habits are very common in all countries of the world, leading 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. Dr Hans Hogerzeil, from the Essential Drugs and Medicines Policy department at the WHO, said:

"Unfortunately, developing countries do not always have access to unbiased information about medicines. 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 percent 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.

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