Availability of Internationally Controlled Essential Medicines in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Key Message:
Global shortages and stockouts of internationally controlled essential medicines for palliative and critical care in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic call for coordinated strategic interventions to improve access and relieve preventable suffering.
Introduction:
Section 2 of the 2019 World Health Organization (WHO) Model List of Essential Medicines includes opioid analgesics formulations commonly used for the control of pain and respiratory distress, as well as sedative and anxiolytic substances such as midazolam and diazepam.1 As these essential palliative care medicines are regulated under the international drug control conventions overseen by United Nations (UN) specialized agencies and treaty bodies2 and under national drug control laws, we refer to them as Internationally Controlled Essential Medicines (ICEMs).