Pharmacological assessment of drugs retained in the 1st and 24th WHO Essential Medicines List (1977–2025)

Description

Lilly Josephine Bindel and Roland Seifert re-examined the drugs that have survived on the World Health Organization's Essential Medicines List from its first edition in 1977 to the twenty-fourth in 2025. Their 2026 assessment graded 129 long-retained medicines by present-day value, weighing guideline support, benefit and safety, how widely each is used, and what alternatives exist.

For most of these drugs the listed uses had barely changed across nearly fifty years. Just over half were judged to hold constant importance, a smaller share had grown more important, and nearly a third had declined. Nineteen drugs raised enough questions, through narrow use, weaker effect, resistance, or toxicity, that the authors say their place on the list deserves open debate. Staying on the list for decades, they argue, should not by itself certify a drug's worth.

Catalog record

Source: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/PMC13593693