WHO’s Update of Essential Medicines List in September 2025
WHO updates list of essential medicines to include key cancer, diabetes treatments
WHO 2025 Update to the Essential Medicines Lists
The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated its Model Lists of Essential Medicines (EML) and Essential Medicines for Children (EMLc) in 2025. These lists are crucial as they guide over 150 countries in deciding which medicines to prioritize for their national health systems, aiming to improve access to effective and affordable treatments.
This update adds 20 new medicines to the EML for adults, bringing the total to 523, and 15 new medicines to the EMLc, raising its total to 374. The focus of these additions is to increase the availability of clinically significant medicines that have a strong public health impact.
Key Amendments and Their Implications
Cancer Treatments: The update includes the addition of new medicines for various cancers. Notably, the list now includes PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitors. Specifically, Pembrolizumab has been added as a first-line treatment for certain metastatic cancers. Other alternatives like atezolizumab and cemiplimab were also included. This is a significant step towards making advanced cancer therapies more accessible, particularly in low-resource settings, although the WHO acknowledges that high costs remain a major barrier.
Diabetes and Obesity: In a move to address the growing global burden of diabetes and obesity, the committee has added glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and dual receptor agonists to the EML. This includes drugs like semaglutide, dulaglutide, liraglutide, and tirzepatide. These are recommended for adults with type 2 diabetes who also have cardiovascular or chronic kidney disease and are obese. The inclusion of these treatments aims to provide better management options for these conditions, with the WHO also committed to monitoring prices and helping countries secure fair pricing.
Other Conditions: The updated lists also include new medicines for conditions such as cystic fibrosis, psoriasis, hemophilia, and various blood-related disorders, further broadening the scope of essential treatments.
The meeting of the 25th WHO Expert Committee on the Selection and Use of Essential Medicines was held at WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, from 5 to 9 May 2025. The Expert Committee considered a total of 59 applications, assessing the scientific evidence on each medicine’s effectiveness, safety, comparative cost, and overall cost-effectiveness to inform its recommendations. The Committee also considered proposals relating to the definitions and update of the AWaRe (Access, Watch, Reserve) classification of antibiotics.
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.
Action Plan for National Health Systems
For national health systems in over 150 countries that use the WHO’s EML and EMLc as a guide, the 2025 update provides a clear roadmap for action. Countries are encouraged to prioritize the incorporation of these new, high-impact medicines into their national essential medicines lists.
This includes developing strategies to improve access and affordability, especially for advanced cancer treatments like Pembrolizumab. Furthermore, the WHO’s commitment to supporting fair pricing strategies for expensive drugs, such as the new GLP-1 receptor agonists for diabetes, means that national health systems can seek assistance in making these critical therapies financially viable and accessible to their populations.
The ultimate goal is to ensure that these clinically beneficial medicines are available to all who need them, thereby maximizing their public health impact.
Information Source :
WHO updates list of essential medicines to include key cancer, diabetes treatments
https://www.who.int/news/item/05-09-2025-who-updates-list-of-essential-medicines-to-include-key-cancer–diabetes-treatments
WHO Model Lists of Essential Medicines
https://www.who.int/groups/expert-committee-on-selection-and-use-of-essential-medicines/essential-medicines-lists
2025 Executive Summary
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/B09544
2025 EML
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/B09474
2025 EMLc
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/B09475
2025 AWaRe database
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/B09489
25th Expert Committee on Selection and Use of Essential Medicines
https://www.who.int/groups/expert-committee-on-selection-and-use-of-essential-medicines/25th-expert-committee-on-selection-and-use-of-essential-medicines
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