The new edition of the Model List of Essential Medicines (EML), published on 26 July 2023, includes two important medicines for the treatment of alcohol use disorders in adults: acamprosate and naltrexone.
Alcohol consumption contributes to 3 million deaths each year globally as well as to the poor health and disabilities of millions of people. It is estimated that worldwide close to 300 million people live with alcohol use disorders, including about 150 million people with alcohol dependence.
Until now, no medicines for the treatment of alcohol use disorders have been included in the EML. This represents a landmark public health decision that recognizes the significant public health burden associated with alcohol use disorders and the effectiveness of acamprosate and naltrexone in their treatment.
With the high prevalence and burden of alcohol use disorders and limited treatment coverage, the inclusion of acamprosate and naltrexone will provide valuable options and choices for patients and clinicians, and could reduce costs and improve affordable access to these treatments for national health systems, thus helping more people.
The inclusion of acamprosate and naltrexone in the EML is aligned with WHO recommendations on the management of alcohol use disorders. Both medicines are recommended for treatment of alcohol dependence in the WHO Intervention Guide for mental, neurological and substance use disorders in non-specialized health settings (WHO, 2016).
This decision will further facilitate implementation of the Global Alcohol Action Plan 2022-2030, endorsed by the 75th World Health Assembly in 2022, which sets out steps to boost the prevention and treatment capacity of health and social care systems for alcohol use disorders.
About EML:
Launched in 1977 largely to promote better access to medicines in developing countries, the WHO Model Lists have become a global policy tool for decisions related to the selection and universal coverage of medicines within all health systems. The Model Lists are updated every two years by an Expert Committee, made up of recognized specialists from academia, research and the medical and pharmaceutical professions, to address new health challenges, prioritize highly effective therapeutics and improve affordable access.
Around the world, more than 150 countries use the WHO Model Lists to guide decisions about which medicines represent the best value for money, based on evidence and health impact.
