The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7215 p373
14 September 2002

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World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences summary

World Health Organization launches model formulary

The World Health Organization launched its model formulary during the International Pharmaceutical Federation Congress at a special media briefing on 3 September. The formulary is the first publication to give comprehensive information on all 325 medicines contained in the WHO Model List of Essential Drugs.

The formulary presents information on the recommended use, dosage, adverse effects, contraindications and warnings associated with these medicines. WHO says that it is is primarily intended as a model for national governments and institutions, to be used as a basis for developing their own national formularies. In particular, it is intended to be of benefit to developing countries, where commercial and promotional materials are often the only source of drug information available to health workers, prescribers and patients.

As Dr Hans Hogerzeil, from the essential drugs and medicines policy department at WHO, explained: "Developing countries do not always have access to to unbiased information about medicines. The formulary aims to address that problem and provide a service based solely on scientific evidence."

Speaking at the launch, Dinesh Mehta, executive editor of the British National Formulary and a joint editor of the WHO formulary said: "A nationally supported and nationally adapted WHO model formulary can help achieve uniformly high standards of drug therapy."

Copies of the formulary are available from Maryvonne Grisetti at WHO on +41 22 791 24 81 (e-mail grisettim@who.int) at the price of SFr40 (SFr28 for developing countries) and it is intended that it will soon be made available on the internet. A CD-ROM version is in preparation.