Staff Reporter
The government of India has released 384 medicines under the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM). Health minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya released the updated version of NLEM 2022 today at an event in New Delhi.
Dr. Mandaviya said NLEM plays an important role in ensuring the accessibility of affordable quality medicines at all levels of healthcare. Dr. Mandaviya said these medicines will improve the quality of health care.
He elaborated that the list has been formulated after extensive consultations with the stakeholders. He added that The National Pharma Pricing Authority will now determine and regulate the price of these medicines so that affordable medicines are available for the people.
Dr. Bharati Pawar, Minister of state said that under the leadership of Prime minister Narendra Modi, the Pharma sector is growing. She said the National List of essential medicines will guide and help the Pharma sector to work in tandem with the demands of the nation. She stressed the need to spread awareness about antimicrobial resistance.
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. The National List of Essential Medicines was first formulated in 1996 and it has been revised thrice in 2003, 2011, and 2015.
The NLEM 2022 contains 384 medicines as compared to 376 in NLEM, 2015. The medicines have now been categorized into 27 therapeutic categories. A new section has been added for medicines considered essential for the supportive management of COVID-19.