The Selection and Use of Essential Medicines - WHO Technical Report Series, No. 920: 3. Update on current activities: 3.3 The WHO model formulary

The Selection and Use of Essential Medicines - WHO Technical Report Series, No. 920
(2003; 137 pages)

1. Introduction
2. Open session
3. Update on current activities
	3.1 Dissemination of the previous report of the Expert Committee (including the 12th Model List)
	3.2 The twenty-fifth anniversary of the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines
	3.3 The WHO model formulary
	3.4 Review of the New Emergency Health Kit
	3.5 Review of essential medicines for reproductive health
	3.6 Report of an ad hoc Advisory Committee on priority vaccines
	3.7 The WHO Essential Medicines Library
	3.8 Promoting rational use of essential medicines
		3.8.1 Update on activities to contain antimicrobial resistance
		3.8.2 Guidelines for drugs and therapeutic committees
		3.8.3 WHO database on rational drug use studies
4. Changes made in revising the Model List
	4.1 Applications for additions
		4.1.1 Amodiaquine
		4.1.2 Azithromycin
		4.1.3 Ibuprofen (paediatric formulation)
		4.1.4 Insulin semilente
		4.1.5 Miconazole nitrate buccal tablets
		4.1.6 Misoprostol
		4.1.7 Valaciclovir
	4.2 Applications for deletions
		4.2.1 Ethinylestradiol + levonorgestrel tablets (50µg + 250µg, pack of four)
		4.2.2 Nonoxynol
	4.3 Applications for addition of information
		4.3.1 Anti-leprosy medicines
	4.4 Other changes
		4.4.1 Oral rehydration salts
		4.4.2 Streptokinase
5. Reviews of sections of the Model List
	5.1 "Fast-track" procedure for deleting items from the Model List
	5.2 Review of core versus complementary listing of medicines
	5.3 Review of the use of the square box symbol (including a review of the corticosteroids)
	5.4 Review of the antihypertensive medicines
6. Priorities for future reviews
7. Recommendations
	7.1 Additions, deletions and other changes to the Model List
	7.2 Core versus complementary listing of medicines
	7.3 Use of the square box symbol (including review of the corticosteroids
	7.4 Review of the antihypertensive medicines
	7.5 Future priorities
References
Annex 1 The 13th WHO Model List of Essential Medicines
Annex 2 The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system¹
Alphabetical list of essential medicines (with ATC classification code numbers)
Selected WHO Publications of Related Interest

3.3 The WHO model formulary

In order to make the WHO model formulary compatible with the Model List, entries for the antiretroviral medicines and the other additions to the 12th Model List were prepared immediately after the 2002 meeting of the Expert Committee in time for the release of the first edition of the WHO model formulary at the Annual Congress of the International Pharmaceutical Federation held in Nice, France, in September 2002. The publication was generally very well received. All 7000 printed copies were rapidly disseminated, either by free distribution or through commercial channels, necessitating a second printing in November 2002. A searchable version can be accessed via the WHO web site¹ and a CD-ROM version, for use by national and institutional committees, is nearing completion (5). Agreement has been reached with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain for editing and printing future editions of the WHO model formulary.