This book from the World Health Organization provides guidance on policies and legislation with regards to availability, accessibility, affordability and control of medicines made from substances regulated under the international drug control conventions, herein referred to as “controlled medicines”. Their scope encompasses “all controlled medicines”, but with a specific focus on essential medicines. Controlled medicines play an important role in several areas of medicine, including pain treatment, treatment of opioid dependence, emergency obstetrics, psychiatry and neurology. The availability, accessibility and affordability of controlled medicines are important issues for all countries, but problematic for most of them.
This book elaborates on the background and then provides 21 guidelines on various topics: content of drug control legislation and policy; authorities and their role in the system; policy planning for availability and accessibility; healthcare professionals; estimates and statistics; procurement; and nationally listed drugs. Each guideline has an elucidation and a description of the legal context. The Country Assessment Checklist enables the user to determine which guidelines still need to be worked on. A CD-ROM provides additional information.
Target audience: policy-makers, regulators (in government, administrative departments, national competent authorities) and politicians; academia and civil society; healthcare professionals and their organizations; individuals (including patients and their families) and organizations whose area of work or interest is drug control or public health.
Book and reference list freely downloadable online in 14 languages at
http://www.who.int/medicines/areas/quality_safety/guide_nocp_sanend/en/index.html
and the Repository of the WHO Library: (http://dosei.who.int/uhtbin/webcat)
Available in hardcopy in English and French:
[E]: 78 pages, ISBN 978 92 4 156417 5, Order no. 11500807
[F]: 78 pages, ISBN 978 92 4 256417 4, Order no. 21500807
Price. CHF/US$ 25.00, In developing countries: CHF/US$ 17.50
click here to conact by Email - Web site: www.who.int/bookorders
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This document was prepared as part of the Project Access to Opioid Medications in Europe (ATOME)
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Core scientific group / work package leaders: Lukas Radbruch, University of Bonn / Malteser Krankenhaus Bonn/Rhein-Sieg, Germany; Willem Scholten, World Health Organization; Sheila Payne, Lancaster University, United Kingdom; Asta Minkeviciene, Eurasian Harm Reduction Association, Lithuania; Daniela Mosoiu, Hospice Casa Sperantei, Romania; Paula Frusinoiu, National Anti-Drug Agency, Romania; David Praill, Help the Hospices, United Kingdom; Rick Lines, International Harm Reduction Association, United Kingdom; Marie-Hélène Schutjens, Utrecht University, the Netherlands; Lukas Radbruch, European Association for Palliative Care, Italy. Academic Advisory Board: Snezana Bosnjak, Institute for Oncology & Radiology, Serbia; David Clark, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom; Ambros Uchtenhagen, Institut für Sucht- und Gesundheitsforschung Zürich, Switzerland; John Lisman, Lisman Legal Life Sciences, the Netherlands; Stein Kaasa, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway; Per Sjøgren, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark. Project management: Lukas Radbruch (project coordinator); Saskia Jünger (project executive officer); Willem Scholten (scientific coordinator); Sheila Payne.
Website: www.atome-project.eu
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The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme [FP7/2007-2013] under grant agreement n° 222994 with the overall aim to improve the access to opioid medication in Europe.
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Supported in part by Foundation Open Society Institute (Zug), the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, The Netherlands, the Mission interministérielle de la lutte contre la drogue et la toxicomanie, Government of France (French translation), and the International Association for the Study of Pain.