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Published on February 2, 2008

Food and Drug Administra-tion secretary-general Dr Siriwat Tiptaradol said yesterday the list would be announced in the government gazette and then catalogued in all hospitals nationwide.

The FDA started revision of the 692 items in the old national drug list last year in response to cheaper newly developed drugs entering the global pharmaceutical market.

"The prices of some drugs were reduced and that's why we had to improve the 2003 national drug list and include the new effective drugs," he said.

The FDA has excluded 33 items from the old list and added 24 new ones, bringing the total to 683.

Important drugs for the treatment of rare diseases are also included in the new list such as: imatinib to treat leukaemia and gastric cancer; docetaxel for lung and breast cancer; bimatoprost for glaucoma; botulinum toxin type A to treat hemifacial spasm disease; immunoglobulin for myastenia gravis; and epoetin for anaemia.

The drugs are all expensive and until now have been inaccessible to most patients.

"The new national drug list will enable physicians across the country to prescribe more affordable, essential and effective drugs for their patients," Siriwat said.

The FDA has also included 19 herbal medicines such as tur-meric, ginger, candelabra bush and Asiatic pennywort in the new drug list, to promote the use of local medicines and traditions.

However, Siriwat said, these alternative medicines needed more research and development to ensure their effectiveness.

In the interests of awareness and safety, people are advised to check the new national drug list on the FDA website (www.fda.moph.go.th).

Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation