WHO Assembly Agrees Revised Strategy

At the 49th World Health Assembly in Switzerland last month, having reviewed implementation of the World Health Organization revised drug strategy, the Assembly urged member states to reaffirm their commitment to develop and implement national drug policies in order to ensure equitable access to essential drugs and the rational use of drugs; to establish programs and enhance drug regulations for monitoring and controlling the efficacy, quality and safety of marketed drugs; and to control unethical marketing of drugs and eliminate inappropriate drug donations.

At the same time, the Assembly requested the WHO among other things to continue the development, harmonization and promotion of standard-setting; promote vigorously the use of the WHO Certification Scheme on the Quality of Pharmaceutical Products Moving in International Commerce, and of WHO-developed inter-agency Guidelines for Drug Donations; and to strengthen market intelligence and review - in collaboration with interested parties - information on prices and sources of information on prices of essential drugs and raw materials of good quality, which meet current requirements of internationally-recognized pharmacopoeias or equivalent.

Budgetary Concerns The Assembly accepted WHO Director General Nakajima's financial report and audited financial statements for the 12 months to December 1995, but expressed regret at the high level of internal borrowing. It also expressed "deep concern at the unprecedented level of outstanding contributions owed by members states." As of May 20, 1996, 28 members states had lost their voting privileges as a result of non-payment of their contributions; seven more may join this list in May 1997.