ESSENTIAL DRUGS

DR. E I OCHINOKWU
 OUTLINE
• INTRODUCTION
• OBJECTIVES OF ESSENTIAL DRUG SYSTEM
• CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
• ADVANTAGES OF ESSENTIAL DRUGS
PROGRAMME
• DRUG REVOLVING FUND
• COMPONENTS OF ESSENTIAL DRUGS LIST
• CONCLUSION
 INTRODUCTION
• Drugs constitute very important tool in health
care system.
• “for countless patients around the world, the
administration of a medicine or a vaccine is the
embodiment of health care. Without drugs, a
health service has no substance and no
credibility.” Dr. Nakajima [WHO].
• Provision of drugs forms an integral part of
overall health delivery system.
• Essential drugs are those drugs that satisfy the
health care needs of the great majority of the
people and which should be available at all
times in adequate amount and appropriate
forms.
• They are those basic drugs that must be
available for the treatment of the common
diseases in an area.
 HISTORY
• WHO model list of essential drugs was produced in 1977
• Many countries had adopted the concept of essential
drugs
• Nigeria published her national essential drugs list in 1986.
• Essential drug decree passed in 1989.
• Illegal for anyone to manufacture, import, sell, display for
sale or advertise any drugs not in the list.
• List should influence the prescribing habit of doctors and
not vice versa.
OBJECTIVES OF ESSENTIAL DRUGS SYSTEM
• To reduce the number of drugs used in the health service and to
procure them only under generic names
• To ensure constant availability of essential drugs in the health
service
• To organise bulk purchasing so as to reduce costs
• To make drug usage more cost-efficient and cost-effective by
restricting supplies to need and retraining health workers to more
accurate diagnosis and prescribing
• To organise programme for the training of personnel on the
selection of essential drugs, drug supply, quality control , local
production, storage and distribution.
• To increase the awareness of essential drugs concept.
 CRITERIA FOR DRUG SELECTION
• Proven efficacy
• Safety
• Side effects must be minimal
• Quality and availability of dosage form should be
assured
• Drug should have reasonable stability under the
expected conditions of storage
• Tablets should be preferred to syrups and solutions
because they can keep better.
• Drugs formulated in single compounds are
preferred
• Drugs should be in generic names as much as
possible
• They must be financially affordable
• Essential drugs principles implies a restriction
in the number of drugs but without
compromising the availability at all times of
the most important drugs.
• It encourages a fair and adequate distribution
of drugs.
 ADVANTAGES OF ESSENTIAL DRUGS
PROGRAMME
• Encourages a more rational use of drugs
• Gives better possibility to define real health
needs of the population
• Better management of drugs
• Cost- effective drug control
• Stimulates local drug formulation and production
• Local drug analysis capabilities increased
• Wastages and shortages are eliminated.
 THE DRUG REVOLVING FUND
• DRF is the recycling of fund set aside for
essential drug programme in such a way as to
develop a cost- recovery mechanism based on
the sale of drugs to help overcome the financial
constraints on drug supply.
• Drugs are sold to the consumers and the
proceeds from the sales are used to purchase
replacements which are in turn sold.
• No further allocation from govt. needed.
• Price paid by consumers should be affordable
but without running at a loss.
• Prices must not be higher than market prices if
the programme is to be used by the consumers.
• Factors to be considered in cost recovery
include; drug cost, operational costs, overheads
and exemptions for special groups eg TB
patients.
COMPONENTS OF ESSENTIAL DRUG LISTS

• List of drugs produced by the authority in charge

of essential drugs.
• In Nigeria the Federal Ministry of Health
produces it in collaboration with other agencies.
• It is reviewed periodically.
• The concept is weak in Nigeria b/c of challenges
of drug management system.
• Refer to 2010 Nigeria essential drug list.
 CONCLUSION
• The essential drug system has many
advantages if it is faithfully implemented.