New Delhi: Several drugs, antibiotics and vaccines that help in the treatment of cancer will now be cheaper as 34 other medicines, have been included in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM).

The government said the move will reduce the “burden on patients’ pockets”. Infectious drugs such as Ivermestin, Mupirosin and Meropenam have also been included in the list, taking the total number of drugs falling in the category of essential medicines to 384

Four major drugs for the treatment of cancer – bandamstein hydrochloride, irinotecan HCI trihydrate, linalidomide and liprolide acetate, which are effective in different forms of cancer, and psychotherapeutic drugs – nicotine replacement therapy and buprenorphine – have also been included in the list.

In the meantime, Ranitidine, Sucralphate, White Petrolatum, Atenolol and Methyldopa have been excluded from the previous list. This has been done on the basis of parameters such as availability and cost effectiveness of better medicines.

Officials said the primary objective of NLEM is to promote rational use of medicines keeping in view the three important aspects – cost, safety and efficacy. They said that NLEM is a dynamic document and is revised on a regular basis due to changing public health priorities and enhancement of knowledge related to pharmaceuticals.

The NLEM was developed in 1996 and has so far been revised thrice in 2003, 2011 and 2015. Endocrine drugs and contraceptive drugs have also been included in the revised list.

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