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Barbui C, Papola D, Todesco B, Gastaldon C, Ostuzzi G. Ground-breaking change to the mental health section of the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines: implications for low- and middle-income countries. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci 2024; 33:e3. [PMID: 38297463 PMCID: PMC10894702 DOI: 10.1017/s2045796024000040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Corrado Barbui
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health and Service Evaluation, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Davide Papola
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health and Service Evaluation, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Beatrice Todesco
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health and Service Evaluation, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Chiara Gastaldon
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health and Service Evaluation, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Giovanni Ostuzzi
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health and Service Evaluation, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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Papola D, Ostuzzi G, Todesco B, Gastaldon C, Hanna F, Chatterjee S, van Ommeren M, Barbui C. Updating the WHO Model Lists of Essential Medicines to promote global access to the most cost-effective and safe medicines for mental disorders. Lancet Psychiatry 2023; 10:809-816. [PMID: 37475123 DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(23)00176-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Since 1977, the WHO Model Lists of Essential Medicines (EML) have been a benchmark to guide the procurement of medicines at the national level, especially in low-income and middle-income countries. Aiming to include the most effective, safe, and cost-effective medicines for priority conditions, WHO updates the EML for adults and the EML for children every 2 years. Over the past 45 years, updates to the EML mental health section have been infrequent, in most cases with additions of individual medicines. A comprehensive revision of the entire section has never been attempted. With the aim of increasing the use of the WHO EML to expand the selection of the most effective and safe medicines for mental disorders, a series of evidence-based applications were submitted to the WHO Expert Committee on the Selection and Use of Essential Medicines in 2022, recommending a substantial revision of the entire mental health section. In this Health Policy, we summarise the recommended update and the evidence justifying it. We also discuss challenges in the update process, suggesting possible solutions. The requested comprehensive revision of the WHO EML mental health section aligns the list with the latest evidence. The revision offers an opportunity for countries to promote access to the most effective, safe, and cost-effective medicines for mental disorders, contributing to universal health coverage and global mental health equity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Papola
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health and Service Evaluation, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy; Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Giovanni Ostuzzi
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health and Service Evaluation, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Beatrice Todesco
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health and Service Evaluation, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Chiara Gastaldon
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health and Service Evaluation, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Fahmy Hanna
- Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Mark van Ommeren
- Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Corrado Barbui
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health and Service Evaluation, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy; Cochrane Global Mental Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
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