PAREA Contribution to the WHO Guideline on Controlled Medicines Policies

The World Health Organization has released its new guideline on balanced national controlled medicines policies to ensure medical access and safety.

PAREA participated in this process as a member of the External Review Group, contributing feedback and recommendations that are reflected in the final text. To inform its input, PAREA convened an international group of experts whose perspectives were instrumental in shaping the submission. A number of the comments provided through this process were incorporated into the published guideline.

The External Review Group included a wide range of organizations and institutions working in health, drug policy, palliative care, research, and global health, among them the International Committee of the Red Cross, Global Commission on Drug Policy, Médecins Sans Frontières, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, UCSF, Stanford University, and the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care.

The guideline represents an important step toward ensuring that controlled medicines are accessible, affordable, and used safely worldwide, balancing the imperative of medical access with safeguards against misuse and harm.

Access the full publication: WHO Guideline on Balanced National Controlled Medicines Policies