WHO Adds Life-Saving Cancer Medicines to Essential List
With new additions including products for multiple sclerosis, Ebola virus, hepatitis C and multidrug-resistant TB, the number of products on the World Health Organization’s Model Lists of Essential Medicines has risen to 502.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has taken a significant step forward in the fight against cancer by adding two groundbreaking medicines to its list of essential treatments.
This move aims to reduce cancer-related deaths and improve access to life-saving therapies in hospitals worldwide.
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According to WHO, the new drugs; pegylated liposomal doxorubicin for Kaposi sarcoma and pegfilgrastim have been included in the list of essential drugs to stimulate the production of white blood cells and reduce the toxic effect of some cancer medicines on the bone marrow.
“Two new cancer treatments have been added: pegylated liposomal doxorubicin for Kaposi sarcoma and pegfilgrastim to stimulate the production of white blood cells and reduce the toxic effect of some cancer medicines on the bone marrow,” WHO said in a report titled, “The selection and use of essential Medicines 2023”
Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a cancer that manifests as tumours on the skin or on mucosal surfaces such as inside the mouth. But these cancerous growths can also develop in other parts of the body, such as in the lungs, stomach or intestines.
It contributed 3,844 (11.3 per cent) of the 34,008 new cancer cases in Uganda in 2020, according to statistics from the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
With new additions including products for multiple sclerosis, Ebola virus, hepatitis C and multidrug-resistant TB, the number of products on the World Health Organization’s Model Lists of Essential Medicines has risen to 502.
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