NATIONAL ESSENTIAL MEDICINES LISTPUBLICATION: 7thEDITION (2025) Pharmaceutical Services ProgrammeMinistry of Health (MOH) Malaysia Lot. 36, Jalan ProfesorDiraja Ungku Aziz,46200 Petaling Jaya,Selangor, Malaysia. A-GU-86/3 e ISBN 978-967-2854-49-4 © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED This is a publication of the Pharmaceutical Services Programme, Ministry of HealthMalaysia. Enquiries are to bedirected to the address stated above. Permission ishereby Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSi THE NATIONAL ESSENTIAL MEDICINES LIST (NEML)ii BackgroundiiReview ProcessiiListing CriteriaiiiHow To Use The National Essential Medicines Listiii1.Anaesthetics, Preoperative Medicines And Medical Gases12.Medicines For Pain And Palliative Care2 APPENDIXES31 NEML Statistics31 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Pharmaceutical Services Programme, Ministry of Health (MOH) would like to express our gratitude toindividuals and organisations that had invested hard work and time in providing information, review and We wouldlike to extend our sincerethank youto all advisory group members for their insightful feedback Advisors: •Norhaliza A Halim,DeputyDirectorGeneralof Health(Pharmaceutical Services)•Wan Noraimi Wan Ibrahim, Director of PharmacyPractice and Development Division NEMLSecretariat: •Dr. Nur Sufiza Ahmad, Deputy Director (Formulary Management), Pharmacy Practice and DevelopmentDivision(Secretary) Contributors(in alphabetical order): Ministry of Health, Malaysia •National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency•OralHealth Policy and Strategic PlanningDivision•Pharmacy Policy and Strategic Planning Division •Disease Control Division•Drug Working Committees•Family Health Development Division Other Ministries •Ministry of Defence•Ministry of Higher Education Private Sector •Association of Private Hospitals, Malaysia(APHM)•Malaysian DentalAssociation (MDA)•Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) Other organisationsor individuals who have provided their comments and suggestions for the revision of the THE NATIONAL ESSENTIAL MEDICINES LIST (NEML) Background The Malaysian National Essential Medicines List (NEML) was initially approved by the Ministry of Health(MOH) in January 2000. Since its inception, and in alignment with the Malaysian National Medicines Policyaimed at ensuring universal access to medicines, the NEMLisrevised every two to three years, based onupdates to the World Health Organization Model List of Essential Medicines (WHO EML). This list comprises The overarching goal is to ensure that essential medicines remain available and affordable for the Malaysianpopulation.Furthermore,itstrives topromote efficientmedicineprocurement processes and encouragetherational use of medicines.It is also designed to serve as a standardised reference for public and private Review Process The NEML undergoes regular review and updates to ensure the population’s access to medicines that areavailable, affordable, of high quality, andaccessible. The review process incorporates input from healthcare Listing Criteria The inclusion of medicines in the NEML follows a rigorous and evidence-based evaluation processto ensure that theselected medicines address the healthcare needs of the population effectively.To uphold this standard, only medicines that meet specific criteria are considered for inclusion.These criteria include being registered with the Drug Control Authority (DCA) Malaysia and beinglisted in either the 23rd World Health Organization Essential Medicines List (WHO EML, 2023) or These criteria help ensure that the NEML remains a dynamic, evidence-based tool for guidinghealthcare decision-making and improving population health outcomes. How To Use The National Essential Medicines List NEML7thedition comprises492chemical entities and categorisesthe medicines into two lists: •Core list: Minimum medicine needs for abasichealth care system, listing the mostefficacious, safeandcost-effectivemedicines for priority conditions1.•Complementary list:Essential medicines for whichspecialiseddiagnostic or monitoring facilities,and/orspecialist medical care, and/or specialist trainingare needed1. Medicines and dosage formsare listedin alphabetical order within each section,andthere is no implicationof preference for oneformover another. Standard treatment guidelines shouldbe consultedfor information The[a]symbol indicates that there is an age or weight restriction on theuseof the medicine Thetherapeutic alternatives classified under the 4th level of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC)classification are those listed in the Ministry of Health Medicines Formulary (MOHMF) that correspond to NATIONAL ESSENTIAL MEDICINES LIST7TH 6.Anti-Infective Medicines 6.2 Anti-bacterials Antibiotics are divided into three different categories namelyACCESS, WATCH and RESERVEgroupsto facilitate the development of tools for antibiotic stewardship at local and national levels ACCESS GROUP ANTIBIOTICS: •Antibiotics that have activity against a wide range of com