4 Anti Cancer Medicines included in the National List of Essential Medicine
4 Anti Cancer Medicines included in the Essential List: Government includes 34 new drugs including cigarette cessation drugs and 26 medicines out
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The central government has added 34 new medicines, including 4 drugs used in the treatment of cancer, to the 'essential' list i.e. National List of Essential Medicine (NLEM). That is, the government has approved the sale and purchase of these medicines. Apart from this, 26 drugs have also been taken off the list.
The Health Ministry says that this will make medicines and vaccines used in the treatment of cancer affordable. The 4 major anticancer drugs include bendamustine hydrochloride, irinotecan HCI trihydrate, lenalidomide and leuprolide acetate.
NLEM includes those drugs, which are useful for more and more people. The government keeps the maximum price of these medicines under control. Pharmaceutical companies cannot increase the price of drugs included in this list by more than 10% in a year.
The 26 drugs that the government has removed from the new list of essential medicines include alteplase drug, atenolol, bleaching powder, capreomycin, cetrimide, chlorpheniramine, diloxanide furoate, dimercaprol, erythromycin, ethinylestradiol, ethinylestradiol (A) norethisterone (B), ganciclovir Kanamycin, Lamivudine (A) + Nevirapine (B) + Stavudine (C), Leflunomide, Methyldopa, Nicotinamide, Pegylated Interferon Alpha 2A, Pegylated Interferon Alpha 2B, Pentamidine, Prilocaine (A) + Lignocaine (B), Procarbazine, Ranitidine Contains, rifabutin, stavudine (A) + lamivudine (B), sucralfate and white petrolatum.
Among the drugs taken off the list is ranitidine, which is often prescribed for acidity and other stomach-related ailments. It is sold under brand names like Rantec and Jintec. Consumption of this drug was said to increase the risk of cancer in patients. After this, the Ministry of Health decided to remove it from the list.
The psychotherapeutic drugs nicotine replacement therapy and buprenorphine have also been added to this list. Apart from this, medicines like the anti-tuberculosis drug bedaquiline and rotavirus vaccine have also been included in the list. Now the number of such drugs on this list has gone up to 384.
The National List of Essential Medicines was created in 1996. It has been updated 5 times since then. It was changed in the years 2003, 2011 and 2015 and now for the fifth time, this list has been revised in the year 2022.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya released the list this time. Please tell me that this list includes medicines used for public health. 350 experts have prepared this new list after 140 meetings.