Medications play a crucial part in providing better health to the nation′s citizens. The National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) was established by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to regulate pharmaceuticals and enhance medical care quality, management, and cost-effective use. The objective of the list of essential medications is to increase the accessibility and proper use of medications. It was designed in India following the WHO′s Essential Medicines List (EML).

Along with other measures, the government recently removed 26 medications, including Ranitidine, Sucralfate, white petrolatum, Atenolol, and Methyldopa, from the National List of Essential Medicines and added 34 to it. Currently, 384 authorized medications are on the list. Government officials said that the drugs were removed not because of adverse effects but related to issues like cost-effectiveness and availability of better treatments, etc.

Dr. Y K Gupta - Professor, Vice Chairman, and Standing National Committee on Medicines & Health Care Products, stated that the FDA had raised some concerns about the possibility of these drugs having some cancerous substances, but the fact was not established fully. Therefore there is no reason to panic. The committee decided to remove the drugs from the list as better options are available. This was necessary for a resource-limited country like India. Indian doctors recommend the medicine for a specified duration and only under a doctor′s prescription.

Further, Dr. S Chatterjee, Internal Medicine Physician; at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals emphasized the proper use of drugs and only for the recommended period. Unnecessary long-term use was causing some side effects. He said that drugs should be taken only under prescription and as advised by the treating physician or gastroenterologist.

(Source: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/no-side-effects-of-drugs-dropped-from-nlem-in-2022/94998463)