WHO moves to improve access to lifesaving medicines
12th May 2015
© PAHO/WHO Sebastian Oliel. The National Institute of cancer (INCAN) of Mexico offers from 2007 care and treatment free to all women with breast cancer. Since then thousands of Mexican have detected it and treated at time, surviving the disease.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published the new edition of its Model List of Essential Medicines which includes ground-breaking new treatments for hepatitis C, a variety of cancers (including breast cancer and leukaemia) and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (TB), among others.
The move opens the way to improve access to innovative medicines that show clear clinical benefits and could have enormous public health impact globally.
“When new effective medicines emerge to safely treat serious and widespread diseases, it is vital to ensure that everyone who needs them can obtain them,” said WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan. “Placing them on the WHO Essential Medicines List is a first step in that direction.”
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