"Expanding Global Access To Essential Heart Medications" - Sandeep Kishore, Mark Huffman, Valentin Fuster and Rajesh Vedanthan
In 1977, the World Health Organization developed a list of basic, life-saving medicines, known as the Model List of Essential Medicines (EML). This list was meant to satisfy the priority health care needs of all 190-plus of its member countries. A core purpose of the EML is to provide a model to support supply of key essential medicines across countries. A contemporary list of essential medicines is critical to ensure a common global standard of care. Sandeep Kishore, MD, PhD, associate director of the Arnhold Institute for Global Health; Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, director of Mount Sinai Heart and physician-in-chief of the Mount Sinai Hospital and Rajesh Vedanthan, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine and cardiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai explained that while their collective has focused primarily on adding medications to the EML to address the global rise of cardiovascular disease, there is no shortage of conditions to choose from nor shortage of people around the world who can benefit from greater, more affordable access to medicine. “A key next step is advocating for essential medicines for cardiovascular disease at the national level where many are missing,” they wrote.
- Sandeep Kishore, MD, PhD, Associate Director, The Arnhold Institute for Global Health, Assistant Professor, Global Health, Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Professor, Medicine, Cardiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Mount Sinai Heart, Physician in Chief, The Mount Sinai Hospital
- Rajesh Vedanthan, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Medicine, Cardiology, Assistant Professor, Population Health Science and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai