New list of essential medicines: 39 new drugs added, 16 dropped

The government released the revised list of National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), in which it has added 39 drugs, removed 16 drugs.

Most of the new drugs added to the list were anti-cancer like Azacitidine and Fludarabine antiretroviral such as Dolutegravir, Darunavir+Ritonavir, new generation TB medications such as Bedaquiline and Delamanid, anti-allergy Montelukast, anti diabetes drugs like Teneligliptin and Insulin Glargine, and tobacco cessation and addiction treatment drugs like nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), Buprenorphine ( opioid antagonists), Buprenorphine+Naloxone.

The 39 new drugs included Amikacin (antibiotic), Azacitidine (anti-cancer), Bedaquiline (anti-TB), Bendamustine Hydrochloride (anti-cancer), Buprenorphine ( opioid antagonists), Buprenorphine+Naloxone (opioid antagonists), Cefuroxime (antibiotic), Dabigatran (anticoagulant), Daclatasvir (antiviral), Darunavir+Ritonavir (antiretroviral), Delamanid (anti-TB), Dolutegravir (antiretroviral), Fludarabine (anti-cancer), Fludrocortisone (corticosteroid), Fulvestrant (anti-cancer), Insulin Glargine (anti-diabetes), Irinotecan HCL Trihydrate (anti-cancer), Itraconazole (antifungal), Ivermectin (anti-parasitic), Lamivudine (antiretroviral), Latanoprost (treat ocular hypertension), Lenalidomide (anti-cancer), Montelukast (anti-allergy), Mupirocin (topical antibiotic), Nicotine replacement therapy, Nitazoxanide (antibiotic), Ormeloxifene (oral contraceptive), Phenoxymethyl penicillin (antibiotic), Procaine Benzylpenicillin (antibiotic), Rotavirus vaccine, Secnidazole (anti-microbial), Teneligliptin (anti-diabetes), Tenofovir+Lamivudine+Dolutegravir (antiretroviral), Tenofovir+Alafenamide Fumarate (TAF) (antiretroviral), Terbinafine (antifungal), and Valganiclovir (antiviral).

The deleted drugs are Alteplase (clot buster), Atenolol (anti-hypertension), Bleaching Powder, Cetrimide (antiseptic), Erythromycin (antibiotic), Ethinylestradiol+Norethisterone (birth control), Ganciclovir (antiviral), Lamivudine+Nevirapine+Stavudine (antiretroviral), Leflunomide (antirheumatic), Nicotinamide (Vitamin-B), Pegylated interferon alfa 2a, Pegylated interferon alfa 2b (antiviral), Pentamidine (antifungal), Prilocaine+Lignocaine (anesthetic), Rifabutin (antibiotic),Stavudine+Lamivudine (antiretroviral), and Sucralfate (anti-ulcer)