Thirty Years of Essential Medicines

Abstract

Behind the simple description of essential medicines as those that meet the real health needs of the population, is one of the biggest revolutions of the last decades. The essential medicines’ concept encompasses those medicines that meet people’s real health needs as well as the cost-containment of pharmaceutical products. As a result, it has been a contentious issue throughout the three decades of its existence. The World Health Organization’s Essential Medicines Programme, a firm promoter of access to medicines as a human right, has been the subject of numerous debates, the most recent surrounding the impact of intellectual property on access to medicines. This book is the first historical summary of the last thirty years of essential medicines. The book calls for the essential medicines’ concept to be put into action and identifies the current and future obstacles to making access to essential medicines an effective human right.