Government drops 26 drugs from 'essentials' list over cancer-causing fears - Details here

New Delhi: Union health ministry on Tuesday (September 13, 2022) launched the National Lists of Essential Medicines (NLEM) 2022 and dropped 26 drugs, including ranitidine and other stomach-related ailments. The list which was launched by Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya yesterday also added 34 new drugs. With this, several antibiotics, vaccines and anti-cancer drugs will become more affordable by their addition to the list.

As many as 384 drugs have been included in this list with an addition of 34 drugs, while 26 from the previous list have been dropped. The deletion has been done based on the parameters of cost effectiveness and availability of better drugs.

“The Health Ministry is taking various steps under the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards Sabko Dawai, Sasti Dawai. In this direction, the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) plays an important role in ensuring the accessibility of affordable quality medicines at all levels of healthcare. This will give a boost to cost-effective, quality medicines and contribute towards a reduction in Out of Pocket Expenditure on healthcare for the citizens,” Mandaviya said. 

India can achieve new heights of progress & prosperity only when its citizens are healthy.

PM @NarendraModi Ji's Govt is committed to creating a robust healthcare system with a focus on ensuring Accessibility, Affordability & Safety. — Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) September 13, 2022

The medicines have been categorized into 27 therapeutic categories, informed the Ministry in a statement. Anti-infectives like ivermectin, mupirocin and nicotine replacement therapy related 34 drugs have been added to the NLEM

The Union Health Minister stated that the “essential medicines” are those that satisfy the priority health care needs, based on efficacy, safety, quality and total cost of the treatment. The primary purpose of NLEM is to promote the rational use of medicines considering the three important aspects i.e., cost, safety and efficacy. 

NLEM also helps in optimum utilization of healthcare resources and budget; drug procurement policies, health insurance; improving prescribing habits; medical education and training for UG/PG; and drafting pharmaceutical policies. In NLEM, the medicines are categorized based on the level of the healthcare system as P- Primary; S- Secondary and T- Tertiary.

Mandaviya added that the NLEM is a dynamic document and is revised on a regular basis considering the changing public health priorities as well as advancements in pharmaceutical knowledge.

Check full list of medicines removed from NLEM 2022:

• Alteplase
• Atenolol
• Bleaching Powder
• Capreomycin
• Cetrimide
• Chlorpheniramine
• Diloxanide furoate
• Dimercaprol
• Erythromycin
• Ethinylestradiol
• Ethinylestradiol(A) + Norethisterone (B)
• Ganciclovir
• Kanamycin
• Lamivudine (A) + Nevirapine (B) + Stavudine (C)
• Leflunomide
• Methyldopa
• Nicotinamide
• Pegylated interferon alfa 2a, Pegylated interferon alfa 2b
• Pentamidine
• Prilocaine (A) + Lignocaine (B)
• Procarbazine
• Ranitidine
• Rifabutin
• Stavudine (A) + Lamivudine (B)
• Sucralfate
• White Petrolatum

The National List of Essential Medicines was first formulated in 1996 and it was revised thrice earlier in 2003, 2011, and 2015.

(With agency inputs)