Biologic medicine inclusion in 138 national essential medicines lists.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Essential medicines lists (EMLs) are intended to reflect the priority health care needs of populations. We hypothesized that biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are underrepresented relative to conventional DMARDs in existing national EMLs. We aimed to survey the extent to which biologic DMARDs are included in EMLs, to determine country characteristics contributing to their inclusion or absence, and to contrast this with conventional DMARD therapies.

Methods

We searched 138 national EMLs for 10 conventional and 14 biologic DMARDs used in the treatment of childhood rheumatologic diseases. Via regression modelling, we determined country characteristics accounting for differences in medicine inclusion between national EMLs.

Results

Eleven c

SUBMITTER: Kraus R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8419977 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature