A comparative review of the list of essential medicines of three Indian states: Findings and implications

Introduction: Essential medicines lists are a key instrument for improving quality and equitable access to health care. The National List of Essential Medicines of India 2011 is modeled on the WHO Essential Medicines List and Indian states (adopting the National List) are free to include other medicines as needed. Materials and Methods: National List of Essential Medicines of India 2011 contains a total of 287 medicines for provision at primary and secondary level of health facilities. The International Nonproprietary Name of these medicines was compared with the List of Essential Medicines (LEM) of three states, that is, Bihar, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu for the inclusion patterns. Results: A large number of medicines from the National List of Essential Medicine (NLEM) were missing from the state LEM's, especially Bihar. The sections on Anticonvulsants, Diuretics, Psychotherapeutic, Antiallergics and Oxytocics were comprehensively included by both Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. Furthermore, the analgesic and anti-infective medicines were largely included. However, the sections of antidotes, diagnostic agents and ophthalmological preparations were grossly deficient. Similarities were found across states in their patterns of both inclusion and exclusion of medicines. Conclusion: The analysis reveals that the extent of inclusion of NLEM medicines in state LEM's is deficient with variable patterns across states. This in turn has implications for drug availability, prescription patterns, and rational drug use. As some drugs are repeatedly there in NLEM but not included by states, a discussion based consultative approach for better coherence across the lists could lead to further optimization and utilization of LEM's which would aid in improved access to medicines.