The World Health Organisation has rejected another attempt to have Methylphenidate (MPH) added to the Essential Medicines List (EML).
“The Committee’s rejection of methylphenidate has dire implications for millions of individuals with ADHD worldwide, who continue to encounter difficulties in accessing methylphenidate because it is not on the EML. The decision especially harms families who live in areas with low resources, particularly those living in low-income and middle-income countries, where governments use the EML to decide if medications should be available.”
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(23)00292-4
“The Expert Committee, after evaluation, declines to list the medicine proposed in the application…
The Expert Committee recalled the decision by the 2019 Expert Committee not to recommend methylphenidate for inclusion on the EML and EMLc for the treatment of ADHD due to concerns about the quality and interpretation of the evidence presented on benefits and harms.”Application previously rejected in 2019 (TRS 1021) and in 2021 (TRS 1035).
https://list.essentialmeds.org/recommendations/1200
Update Feb 2024:
Cortese, S., Coghill, D., Mattingly, G. W., Rohde, L. A., Thom, R. P., Wilens, T. E., … & Faraone, S. V. (2024). AACAP Endorses the Inclusion of Methylphenidate in the WHO Model Lists of Essential Medicines. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, S0890-8567. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2024.02.008