Today the World Health Organization (WHO) added three disease modifying-therapies (DMTs) for multiple sclerosis (MS) onto its Essential Medicines List for the first time.
A baseline of care
The three treatments added onto WHO Essential Medicines List are rituximab, cladribine and glatiramer acetate. MSIF and its members stress that the three medicines listed provide a baseline of care but are not the only ones that are effective and important for the treatment of MS. As this is the first time that MS treatments are included, a new section has been created on the list to emphasise the importance of treatments for MS.
The WHO’s Essential Medicines List is an internationally recognised set of selected medicines to help countries choose how to treat their priority health needs. Countries frequently use the list to develop their own national lists of essential medicines.
