Key Finding: Forty-eight years of WHO essential medicines: core drugs unchanged since 1977

Last updated: 14/08/2026 13:29

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A 48-year analysis of WHO's Essential Medicines List reveals a stable "core subset" of medications present across all 24 editions from 1977 to 2025, demonstrating remarkable pharmaceutical consensus despite sweeping changes in global disease burden and healthcare innovation. — Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash (Unsplash License)

1 min read|40 words

24 editions. 48 years. One consistent core: Bindel & Seifert's analysis of the WHO Essential Medicines List (1977–2025) identifies a stable subset of medications deemed essential across all iterations—demonstrating durable consensus on pharmaceutical fundamentals.

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GMJ Brief · Key Finding

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ByProf. Giorgi Pkhakadze

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Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze, MD, MPH, PhD, is Editor-in-Chief of the Georgian Medical Journal and Chair of the Public Health Institute of Georgia (PHIG). He is Professor and Head of the Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences at David Tvildiani Medical University, and Secretary/Treasurer of the UEMS Section of Public Health. ORCID: 0000-0001-7609-4515.

Key Finding: Forty-eight years of WHO essential medicines: core drugs unchanged since 1977

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