{"entity":{"id":"who-essential-medicines","kind":"term","name":"WHO Essential Medicines List for cancer","aka":[],"tldr":"The World Health Organization's list of medicines every health system should provide, which now includes about 60 cancer drugs from cyclophosphamide and cisplatin to trastuzumab, imatinib and PD-1 inhibitors, guiding procurement and pricing in lower-income countries.","summary":"The Essential Medicines List (EML, since 1977) added a systematic cancer section in 2015 (16 new medicines including trastuzumab, rituximab, imatinib), and subsequent revisions (2017, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2025) added targeted agents and, in 2023-25, PD-1 inhibitors (pembrolizumab, nivolumab, and biosimilars/generics of TKIs), CDK4/6 inhibitors (2025 for breast cancer), enzalutamide, and paediatric formulations; some high-cost agents (e.g. some ADCs) were declined on cost-effectiveness grounds. Listing is a signal to governments, procurement agencies (UNICEF, Global Fund models) and generic manufacturers, and underpins efforts like the Access to Oncology Medicines Coalition. The children's EML (EMLc) covers paediatric protocols; the WHO Model Formulary and prequalification of biosimilars (trastuzumab, rituximab 2019-20) support access.","asOf":"2026-09-08","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WHO_Model_List_of_Essential_Medicines","links":[{"label":"WHO Model Lists of Essential Medicines","url":"https://www.who.int/groups/expert-committee-on-selection-and-use-of-essential-medicines/essential-medicines-lists"}],"tags":["gap-fill","policy","global"],"related":["global-oncology-access","drug-price-transparency","biosimilar","cyclophosphamide","cisplatin","imatinib","trastuzumab","pembrolizumab","trips-doha","nexavar-compulsory-licence","china-vbp-nrdl","novartis-glivec-ruling"],"cancers":[],"sections":[],"technologies":[],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"category":"Regulation & policy"},"route":"/terms/who-essential-medicines/","neighbours":{"technology":[{"id":"global-oncology-access","kind":"technology","name":"Global oncology and access in low- and middle-income countries","route":"/technologies/global-oncology-access/"}],"term":[{"id":"biosimilar","kind":"term","name":"Biosimilar","route":"/terms/biosimilar/"},{"id":"china-vbp-nrdl","kind":"term","name":"China National Reimbursement Drug List negotiation and volume-based procurement","route":"/terms/china-vbp-nrdl/"},{"id":"nexavar-compulsory-licence","kind":"term","name":"Nexavar compulsory licence (India, 2012)","route":"/terms/nexavar-compulsory-licence/"},{"id":"novartis-glivec-ruling","kind":"term","name":"Novartis v. Union of India (Glivec, 2013)","route":"/terms/novartis-glivec-ruling/"},{"id":"drug-price-transparency","kind":"term","name":"Oncology drug pricing and price transparency","route":"/terms/drug-price-transparency/"},{"id":"trips-doha","kind":"term","name":"TRIPS Agreement and the Doha Declaration","route":"/terms/trips-doha/"}],"drug":[{"id":"cisplatin","kind":"drug","name":"Cisplatin","route":"/drugs/cisplatin/"},{"id":"cyclophosphamide","kind":"drug","name":"Cyclophosphamide","route":"/drugs/cyclophosphamide/"},{"id":"imatinib","kind":"drug","name":"Imatinib","route":"/drugs/imatinib/"},{"id":"pembrolizumab","kind":"drug","name":"Pembrolizumab","route":"/drugs/pembrolizumab/"},{"id":"trastuzumab","kind":"drug","name":"Trastuzumab","route":"/drugs/trastuzumab/"}],"idea":[{"id":"idea-cost-pooled-procurement-essential","kind":"idea","name":"Pool purchasing of essential cancer medicines across countries","route":"/ideas/idea-cost-pooled-procurement-essential/"},{"id":"idea-cost-voluntary-licensing-oncology","kind":"idea","name":"Voluntary licences and price caps for patented cancer drugs in low-income countries","route":"/ideas/idea-cost-voluntary-licensing-oncology/"}],"trial":[{"id":"olanzapine-appetite-tmh","kind":"trial","name":"Low-dose olanzapine for cancer anorexia (Tata Memorial)","route":"/trials/olanzapine-appetite-tmh/"}],"institution":[{"id":"butaro-cancer-center","kind":"institution","name":"Butaro Cancer Center of Excellence","route":"/institutions/butaro-cancer-center/"},{"id":"institut-national-oncologie-rabat","kind":"institution","name":"Institut National d'Oncologie, Rabat","route":"/institutions/institut-national-oncologie-rabat/"},{"id":"ocean-road-cancer-institute","kind":"institution","name":"Ocean Road Cancer Institute","route":"/institutions/ocean-road-cancer-institute/"},{"id":"uganda-cancer-institute","kind":"institution","name":"Uganda Cancer Institute","route":"/institutions/uganda-cancer-institute/"},{"id":"who","kind":"institution","name":"World Health Organization Cancer Programme","route":"/institutions/who/"}],"roadmap":[{"id":"global-access-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Global access and affordability roadmap: essential medicines and generics → biosimilars and frugal trials → reliance, pooling and homegrown innovation","route":"/roadmaps/global-access-roadmap/"}]}}