WHO Expert Committees

The WHO Expert Committee on Selection and Use of Essential Medicines meets every two years to review the latest scientific evidence on the efficacy, safety and cost effectiveness of medicines in order to revise and update the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for both adults and children. Committee members are selected from WHO Expert Advisory Panels based on equitable geographical representation, gender balance and professional competencies in order to provide a representation of different approaches and practical experience from all regions of the world.

The last Expert Committee meeting took place in Accra, Ghana on 21-25 March 2011. Updates to the 17th WHO Model List of Essential Medicines and to the 3rd Model List of Essential Medicines for Children based on the recommendations of the Expert Committee can be found in the unedited report.

Official documents

• WHO Technical Report Series (Reports of the Expert Committees)
• Essential Medicines Lists

Background information

• Comparative Table of Medicines on the WHO Essential Medicines Lists from 1977- 2011
  xls, 2.07Mb
• List of medicines deleted from previous EMLs
  pdf, 37kb
• List of rejected applications
  pdf, 35kb

Procedures for updating the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines

• Definition and concept of essential medicines
• Revised procedure for updating WHO's Model List of Essential Drugs. Executive Board document EB109/8, 7 December 2001
• Application form
  pdf, 26kb
• Additional information for applicants
  pdf, 112kb