Low-Cost Drugs Still Relevant in the Present-Day Era



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Submitted Oct 18, 2021
Published Dec 3, 2021
10.24018/clinicmed.2021.2.6.134

Abstract viewed = 254 times

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Escalating medical costs contribute to poverty in countries with low resources. The drug costs account for 17 percent of medical expenses. Revisiting time-tested, cost-effective drugs can reduce these costs. Some of them find a place in the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for Children. The list consists of medicines for a basic healthcare system. They are safe and cost-effective. The present paper identifies co-trimoxazole and chloramphenicol as antimicrobials, chloroquine for malaria, adrenaline, theophylline for asthma, and phenobarbital as an anti-epileptic drug that merits consideration for reviving interest in them and reduce drug treatment costs.

What is already known about this subject?

•       The cost of drugs contributes to rising medical costs.

•       Medical expenses push a large population below the poverty line.

What does this study add?

•       Rediscovering the relevance of old low-cost drugs is essential.

•       Revisiting the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for Children may be useful.

•       Drugs such as chloramphenicol and theophylline are such examples.

 

Keywords: Low-cost drugs, Medical costs, medical expenses, medical treatment and poverty, WHO essential drugs list

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