Low-Cost Drugs Still Relevant in the Present-Day Era

Escalating medical costs contribute to poverty in countries with low resources. The drug costs account for 17 percent of medical expenses. Revisiting time-tested, cost-effective drugs can reduce these costs. Some of them find a place in the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for Children. The list consists of medicines for a basic healthcare system. They are safe and cost-effective. The present paper identifies co-trimoxazole and chloramphenicol as antimicrobials, chloroquine for malaria, adrenaline, theophylline for asthma, and phenobarbital as an anti-epileptic drug that merits consideration for reviving interest in them and reduce drug treatment costs. What is already known about this subject? • The cost of drugs contributes to rising medical costs. • Medical expenses push a large population below the poverty line. What does this study add? • Rediscovering the relevance of old low-cost drugs is essential. • Revisiting the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for Children may be useful. • Drugs such as chloramphenicol and theophylline are such examples.