The revision of essential medicines under the National List of Medicines is an ongoing process, Parliament was informed today.
"The revision of the National List of Medicines (NLEM) by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is an ongoing process," Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers Ananth Kumar said in a reply in the Rajya Sabha.
NLEM was first formulated in 1996. It was later revised in 2003 and 2011. The last revision was notified on December 23, 2015, he added.
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"Some of the criteria for inclusion are that medicines should be approved/licensed in India, it should be useful to diseases which are a public health problem in India and should have proven efficacy and safety profile," Kumar said.
The NLEM notified in December last year contains 376 medicines, which includes 59 for treatment of cancer, he added.
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