WHO prioritizes diabetes, cancer treatments in updated Essential Medicines lists
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WHO has updated its Model Lists of Essential Medicines and Essential Medicines for Children, adding 20 medicines for adults and 17 for children in addition to new uses for 28 previously listed medicines.
Among the new additions are long-acting insulin analogues, their biosimilars and oral medicines for diabetes, antimicrobials for bacterial and fungal infections, and treatments for cancers and smoking cessation.
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The lists were updated by an Expert Committee on the Selection and Use of Essential Medicines. Committee members considered 88 applications, then selected the medicines with the greatest benefits that should be available and affordable for every patient. The updated lists mark the 21st edition of the list of medicines recommended for adults and the 7th edition for children.
The new essential medicines for diabetes include insulin degludec (Tresiba; Novo Nordisk), detemir (Levemir; Novo Nordisk), glargine (Toujeo; Sanofi) and their biosimilars, as well as human insulin and the SGLT2 inhibitors empagliflozin (Jardiance; Boehringer Ingelheim/Eli Lilly & Co.), canagliflozin (Invokana; Janssen) and dapagliflozin (Farxiga; AstraZeneca).
“Diabetes is on the rise globally, and rising faster in low- and middle-income countries,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, MSc, said in a WHO press release. “Too many people who need insulin encounter financial hardship in accessing it or go without it and lose their lives. Including insulin analogues in the Essential Medicines List, coupled with efforts to ensure affordable access to all insulin products and expand use of biosimilars, is a vital step towards ensuring everyone who needs this life-saving product can access it.”
Essential medicines for various cancers include enzalutamide (Xtandi; Astellas, Pfizer), everolimus (Afinitor, Novartis), ibrutinib (Imbruvica; Janssen, Pharmacyclics) and rasburicase (Elitek; Sanofi). Other cancer treatments were not recommended due to high prices, uncertain benefits or management difficulties in low-resourced settings, according to the release.
For infectious diseases, WHO recommended cefiderocol, echinocandin antifungals and monoclonal antibodies for rabies prevention. These are the first monoclonal antibodies to be added to the Model Lists for an infectious disease, WHO said.
Also, two non-nicotine-based medicines — bupropion and varenicline — were added as nicotine-replacement therapies for smoking cessation.
Overall, 479 medicines for adults and 350 medicines for children are now deemed essential to address public health needs, according to the release. The lists are updated every 2 years.