Health groups demand overhaul of India’s essential medicines list
Health advocacy groups are calling on the Indian government to urgently update the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM). They argue that the current list is outdated compared to WHO standards, specifically lacking critical cancer treatments and modern biologic drugs.
Why it matters
Updating the list is essential for price regulation and ensuring that life-saving medications remain affordable and accessible to the Indian public.
India’s roster of essential medicines has not been updated in nearly four years even as the World Health Organisation (WHO) has revised its own list twice in the same period, according to an appeal from the Working Group on Access to Medicines and Treatments, which has written to the government demanding an urgent revision of the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM).
The article reports on a specific policy demand using neutral, factual language without injecting editorial opinion.
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