Comparative Study of Cardiovascular Medicines between WHO Essential Medicine Model List and Chinese Essential Drug List

OBJECTIVE:To provide reference for the adjustment of cardiovascular essential drugs in China. METHODS: Differences in the criteria of selection, categories, dosage forms as well as the specification of cardiovascular medicines in Primary Medical Institution Use Part of National Essential Drug List (2009 edition) (EDL of China) and WHO Essential Medicine Model List (EMML of WHO) were compared by descriptive analysis. RESULTS: There were 29 medicines in EDL of China and 19 medicines in EMML of WHO, 10 of those medicines were the same. There were reserpine, procainamide and isoprenaline in the EDL of China, that had been deleted from EMML of WHO. There were at least 2 cardiovascular medicines with same mechanism in EDL of China, but only 1 in EMML of WHO. So 29 drugs approved in China had 48 preparations, but 19 drugs in EMML of WHO had 29 preparations. EDL of China had not indicated the exact specification, and there were 16 drugs that had oral conventional release dosage forms, among which 43 specifications had approved in China, so each drug had 2.68 specifications, registered number of each specification was 37.56. Solid oral preparation matched single minimum oral dose for adult accounted for 43.8%. That of WHO EMML accounted for 83.3%. CONCLUSIONS: The total number of cardiovascular medicines in EDL of China is close to EMML of WHO, but coincidence rate are relatively low. The evidence-based selection and adjustment of EDL of China are not enough. It lacks of the norm of dosage forms and specification. We suggest enhancing the evidence-based evaluation of cardiovascular medicines and normalizing dosage forms and specification.