WHO Model List of Essential Medicines

The WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, published by the World Health Organization, contains the medications considered to be most effective and safe to meet the most important needs in a health system. The list is frequently used by countries to help develop their own local lists of essential medicines., more than 155 countries have created national lists of essential medicines based on the World Health Organization's model list. This includes both developed and developing countries.
The list is divided into core items and complementary items. The core items are deemed to be the most cost-effective options for key health problems and are usable with little additional health care resources. The complementary items either require additional infrastructure such as specially trained health care providers or diagnostic equipment or have a lower cost–benefit ratio. About 25% of items are in the complementary list. Some medications are listed as both core and complementary. While most medications on the list are available as generic products, being under patent does not prevent inclusion.
The first list was published in 1977 and included 208 medications. The WHO updates the list every two years. There are 306 medications in the 14th list in 2005, 410 in the 19th list in 2015, 433 in the 20th list in 2017, 460 in the 21st list in 2019, and 479 in the 22nd list in 2021. Various national lists contain between 334 and 580 medications. The Essential Medicines List was updated in September 2025 to its 24th edition. The list contains recommendations for 523 medications.
A separate list for children up to twelve years of age, known as the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for Children, was created in 2007, and is in its 10th edition. It was created to make sure that the needs of children were systematically considered such as availability of proper formulations. Everything in the children's list is also included in the main list. The list and notes are based on the 19th to 24th edition of the main list. Therapeutic alternatives with similar clinical performance are listed for some medicines and they may be considered for national essential medicines lists. The 10th Essential Medicines List for Children was updated in September 2025.
Note: An α indicates a medicine is on the complementary list.

Anaesthetics, preoperative medicines and medical gases

General anaesthetics and oxygen

Inhalational medicines

Injectable medicines

Local anaesthetics

Complementary:

Ephedrine

Preoperative medication and sedation for short-term procedures

Medical gases

Oxygen

Medicines for pain and palliative care

Non-opioids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIMs)

Opioid analgesics

Complementary:

Methadone

Medicines for other common symptoms in palliative care

Antiallergics and medicines used in anaphylaxis

Antidotes and other substances used in poisonings

Non-specific

Charcoal, activated

Specific

Complementary:

Medicines for neurological disorders

Medicines for central nervous system disorders

Antiseizure medicines

Complementary:

Medicines for multiple sclerosis

Complementary:

Medicines for parkinsonism

Medicines for cerebral palsy

Baclofen

Medicines for headache disorders

Medicines for acute migraine attacks

Acetylsalicylic acid
Ibuprofen
Paracetamol
Sumatriptan
Medicines for migraine prophylaxis
Propranolol
Medicines for cluster headache
Prednisolone
Sumatriptan
Verapamil

Medicines for central nervous system infections

Medicines for bacterial central nervous system infections

Complementary:

Meropenem
Medicines for viral central nervous system infections
Aciclovir

Medicines for peripheral nervous system disorders

Medicines for Guillain-Barré syndrome

Complementary:

Normal immunoglobulin

Medicines for myasthenia gravis

Neostigmine

Complementary:

Pyridostigmine

Anti-infective medicines

Anthelminthics

Intestinal anthelminthics

Antifilarials

Antischistosomals and other antinematode medicines

Complementary:

Oxamniquine

Cysticidal medicines

Complementary:

Antibacterials

Access group antibiotics

This group includes antibiotics that have activity against a wide range of commonly encountered susceptible pathogens while also showing lower resistance potential than antibiotics in the other groups.

Watch group antibiotics

This group includes antibiotic classes that have higher resistance potential and includes most of the highest priority agents among the Critically Important Antimicrobials for Human Medicine and/or antibiotics that are at relatively high risk of selection of bacterial resistance.

Complementary:

Reserve group antibiotics

This group includes antibiotics and antibiotic classes that should be reserved for treatment of confirmed or suspected infections due to multi-drug-resistant organisms.
Complementary: