Health products policy and standards

Our team provides authoritative guidance and standards on quality, safety and efficacy of health products and supports countries to formulate evidence-based policies and ensure good practice throughout the value chain.

About us

Highlights

Ministry of Health staff at their office in Port Vila

Events

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20 – 22 October 2025

Forty-eighth Expert Committee on Drug Dependence

Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECD)

20 – 24 October 2025

Fifty-ninth meeting of the WHO Expert Committee on Specifications for Pharmaceutical Preparations

28 October 2025 09:00 – 10:30 UTC Time

Open session preceding the 58th meeting of the WHO International Working Group for Drug Statistics Methodology

28 – 29 October 2025

58th meeting of the WHO International Working Group for Drug Statistics Methodology

News

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19 September 2025

Departmental update

WHO publishes full national policy guidance to support equitable access to controlled medicines

5 September 2025

News release

WHO updates list of essential medicines to include key cancer, diabetes treatments

11 July 2025

Departmental update

Public procurement as a key tool to tackle health issues discussed at WHO-WIPO-WTO webinar

Calls for

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24 June 2025

Call for submissions

Public notice and comments on the Technical Advisory Group on the use of digital technologies to enhance access to assistive technology

2 May 2025

Call for consultation

Call for public consultation - Defining the term “diagnostics”

2 May 2025

Call for experts

Call for Experts - Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Medical Devices (STAG MEDEV)

Expert Committees

Advisory groups

Databases

Antibiotic characterization (AWaRe)

Assistive Technology Data Portal

ATC/DDD Index

International Pharmacopoeia

Model list of Essential Medicines

National Essential Medicines Lists

Model list of in Vitro Diagnostics

Priority Medical Devices Information System

ECDD Information repository

Medicine Prices and Other Market Information Sources

Publications

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Improving access to assistive technology in United Republic of Tanzania (2022-2023): project report

The report summarizes a collaboration between the Ministry of Health of the United Republic of Tanzania, HelpAge Tanzania and the World Health Organization...

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The Third issue of volume 39 for 2025 includes:Consultation Documents: Cefiderocol sulfate tosilate (cefiderocoli sulfas tosilatum) Cefiderocol powder...

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Availability, price and affordability of health technologies for the management of diabetes

The WHO list of priority medical devices for management of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/341967, describes those...

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The selection and use of essential medicines, 2025: WHO AWaRe (Access, Watch, Reserve) classification of antibiotics for evaluation and monitoring of use

The AWaRe classification is intended as a tool for monitoring antibiotic use, defining targets and monitoring the impact of stewardship policies and interventions...

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Training

School of International Nonproprietary Names

Training in Assistive Products

Technical Briefing Seminar

Tools

Data Collection on Assistive Technology

Biosimilars Access Toolkit

Decision Support Tool for Blood Safety

MedMon Mobile Monitoring

Journal articles

13 June 2025

World Blood Donor Day 2025

Hope Gordon explains the importance of having a good prosthetic that fit well

16 September 2024

Hope Gordon explains the importance of having a good prosthetic that fits well

16 September 2024

Zahra Nemati on why using an efficient wheelchair is vital & how cities can be made more accessible

16 September 2024

Sulaiman Mayanja on the importance of accessibility

Feature stories

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24 April 2023

Ministry of Health, WHO and EU partner to boost access to medicinal oxygen in Vanuatu

13 February 2023

WHO and Government of United States of America deliver medical oxygen systems to Ukrainian hospitals

11 October 2022

IsDB and WHO provide sustainable life-saving medical oxygen for millions in Yemen

Questions and answers

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Related Teams

Regulation and Prequalification

Contact

hps@who.int

Health Topics

Health interventions

Assistive technology

Substances

Biologicals

Physiological interventions

Blood products

Substances

Drugs (psychoactive)

Highlights

Pharmaceutical pricing policy

Call for experts

Public Procurement of Health Products

HTAP

Events

Forty-eighth Expert Committee on Drug Dependence

Fifty-ninth meeting of the WHO Expert Committee on Specifications for Pharmaceutical Preparations

Open session preceding the 58th meeting of the WHO International Working Group for Drug Statistics Methodology

58th meeting of the WHO International Working Group for Drug Statistics Methodology

News

Calls for

Expert Committees

Advisory groups

Databases

Publications

Improving access to assistive technology in United Republic of Tanzania (2022-2023): project report

WHO Drug Information - Volume 39, No. 3

Availability, price and affordability of health technologies for the management of diabetes

The selection and use of essential medicines, 2025: WHO AWaRe (Access, Watch, Reserve) classification...

Training

Tools

Cessation of Trivalent Oral Poliovirus Vaccine and Introduction of Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine - Worldwide, 2016

Cost-effectiveness analysis of typhoid conjugate vaccines in five endemic low- and middle-income settings

Evaluation of Similar Biotherapeutic products: Scientific and Regulatory Challenges

World Blood Donor Day 2025

Hope Gordon explains the importance of having a good prosthetic that fits well

Zahra Nemati on why using an efficient wheelchair is vital & how cities can be made more accessible

Sulaiman Mayanja on the importance of accessibility

Feature stories

Oxygen

Blood products: Blood donation

Medicines: Good manufacturing practices

Related Teams

Contact

Health Topics

Highlights

Pharmaceutical pricing policy

Call for experts

Public Procurement of Health Products

HTAP

Events

Forty-eighth Expert Committee on Drug Dependence

Fifty-ninth meeting of the WHO Expert Committee on Specifications for Pharmaceutical Preparations

Open session preceding the 58th meeting of the WHO International Working Group for Drug Statistics Methodology

58th meeting of the WHO International Working Group for Drug Statistics Methodology

News

Calls for

Expert Committees

Advisory groups

Databases

Publications

Improving access to assistive technology in United Republic of Tanzania (2022-2023): project report

WHO Drug Information - Volume 39, No. 3

Availability, price and affordability of health technologies for the management of diabetes

The selection and use of essential medicines, 2025: WHO AWaRe (Access, Watch, Reserve) classification...

Training

Tools

Cessation of Trivalent Oral Poliovirus Vaccine and Introduction of Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine - Worldwide, 2016 Cessation of Trivalent Oral Poliovirus Vaccine and Introduction of Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine - Worldwide, 2016

Cost-effectiveness analysis of typhoid conjugate vaccines in five endemic low- and middle-income settings Cost-effectiveness analysis of typhoid conjugate vaccines in five endemic low- and middle-income settings

Evaluation of Similar Biotherapeutic products: Scientific and Regulatory Challenges Evaluation of Similar Biotherapeutic products: Scientific and Regulatory Challenges

World Blood Donor Day 2025

Hope Gordon explains the importance of having a good prosthetic that fits well

Zahra Nemati on why using an efficient wheelchair is vital & how cities can be made more accessible

Sulaiman Mayanja on the importance of accessibility

Feature stories

Oxygen Oxygen

Blood products: Blood donation Blood products: Blood donation

Medicines: Good manufacturing practices Medicines: Good manufacturing practices

Related Teams

Contact

Health Topics

Cessation of Trivalent Oral Poliovirus Vaccine and Introduction of Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine - Worldwide, 2016

Cost-effectiveness analysis of typhoid conjugate vaccines in five endemic low- and middle-income settings

Evaluation of Similar Biotherapeutic products: Scientific and Regulatory Challenges

Oxygen

Blood products: Blood donation

Medicines: Good manufacturing practices