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Gro Harlem Brundtland, MD
Director-General
World Health Organization

JAMA. 2002;288:3102.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Essential medicines save lives and improve health for millions of people around the world. But millions more have little or no access to safe, high-quality medicines. This huge gap between the potential to save lives and the reality for millions of poor people for whom medicines are unavailable, unaffordable, unsafe, or improperly used must be bridged.

Essential medicines are those that satisfy priority health care needs. They are selected according to need, efficacy, safety, and comparative cost-effectiveness. They are intended to be available, within the context of functioning health systems, at all times and in adequate amounts, in the appropriate dosage forms, with insured quality, adequate information, and at a price that individuals and communities can afford.

The first Model List of Essential Medicines was issued by WHO in 1977 to help countries focus their training, public education, and pharmaceutical expenditures in a way that reflects . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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