TY - JOUR T1 - Methylphenidate denied access to the WHO List of Essential Medicines for the second time JF - BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine JO - BMJ EBM DO - 10.1136/bmjebm-2021-111862 SP - bmjebm-2021-111862 AU - Johanne Pereira Ribeiro AU - Charlotte Lunde AU - Christian Gluud AU - Erik Simonsen AU - Ole Jakob Storebø Y1 - 2022/02/17 UR - http://ebm.bmj.com/content/early/2022/02/18/bmjebm-2021-111862.abstract N2 - Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common psychiatric disorder with estimated prevalence between 3% and 5% in children and about 2.5% in adults.1 The prevalence varies across countries and even regions within the same country.2 The psychostimulant methylphenidate is used as the first-line treatment for ADHD in children, adolescents and adults in many countries.3Essential medicines are those that satisfy the priority healthcare needs of the majority of the population and, as such, should be available in a functioning healthcare system at all times. This concerns the availability of appropriate dosages, amounts and quality. The costs of an essential medicine should be set at a level, which is affordable to the individual in a given community. To ensure low costs, sufficient supply and rational use of essential medicines, the World Health Organization (WHO) created the first Model List of Essential Drugs in 1977 (now Model List of Essential Medicines). The list has since then been updated 22 times, most recently in September 2021.4 The selection of a medication as an essential medicine should be based on its relevancy to disease patterns, the quality and cost-effectiveness of the medicine, its pharmacokinetics and acceptability, notwithstanding the evidence of its performance in a variety of settings as well as evidence of its efficacy and safety.5For the 21st update of the WHO Model List in 2018, an application was submitted by researchers from Mount Sinai Graduate Programme in Public Health to include methylphenidate on the list as an essential medicine for children, adolescents and adults with ADHD. The 2018 application had several deficiencies, which has been covered elsewhere.6 The application was rejected by the WHO Expert Committee due to concerns regarding the quality and interpretation of the evidence for benefits and harms. The same research team … ER -