Anti-cancer drugs to be more affordable as 34 new meds added in essential medicines list
Premium- Anti-cancer drugs would now be more affordable as the government has added 34 new drugs to the National List of Essential Medicines 2022
The Central government on Tuesday released the National List of Essential Medicines 2022, which includes 34 new drugs, taking the total number of drugs under it to 384. Thirty-four new drugs including some anti-infectives such as Ivermectin, Mupirocin and Nicotine Replacement Therapy have been added to the list of National List of Essential Medicines 2022.
With anti-cancer, several antibiotics, and vaccines being added to the list, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted to say that now more important drugs will become affordable for the patients. “Several antibiotics, vaccines, anti-cancer drugs and many other important drugs will become more affordable," Mansukh Mandaviya said.
Twenty-six drugs such as Ranitidine, Sucralfate, white petrolatum, Atenolol and Methyldopa have been deleted from the revised list. The deletion has been done based on the parameters of cost-effectiveness and availability of better drugs.
The health minister said, “Released the National List of Essential Medicines 2022.It comprises 384 drugs across 27 categories. Several antibiotics, vaccines, anti-cancer drugs and many other important drugs will become more affordable & reduce patients’ out-of-pocket expenditure."
Endocrine medicines and contraceptives Fludrocortisone, Ormeloxifene, Insulin Glargine and Teneliglitin have been added to the National List of Essential Medicines 2022. Montelukast, which acts on the respiratory tract, and ophthalmological drug Latanoprost have also figured in the list of essential medicines.
Cardiovascular medicines Dabigatran and Tenecteplase also find a place in the list besides medicines used in palliative care.
Dr YK Gupta, Vice Chairman of the Standing National Committee on Medicines, said, "Antinfectives such as Ivermectine, Meropenem, Cefuroxime, Amikacin, Bedaquiline, Delamanid, Itraconazole ABC Dolutegravir have been added to the NLM." He added that the drugs in the National List of Essential Medicines 2022 are included in the scheduled category and their price is regulated by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA).
A revised list of 399 formulations was submitted by an expert committee under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) last year.
(With agency inputs)
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