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WHO Essential Medicines
Twenty medicines developed by Roche are deemed essential medicines by the WHO – meaning that they satisfy the priority healthcare needs of the population. Nineteen of these medicines are no longer under patent protection and include life-saving antibiotics, anti-malarials and chemotherapy.
Our innovation now means the whole world, including the poorest countries, have wide access to locally produced versions. They demonstrate our substantial and sustained contribution to global health which remains long after patent expiry.
| Product | Treatment area |
|---|---|
| Alcuronium (Alloferin) | Muscle relaxant |
| Amitriptylin | Anti-depressant |
| Benznidazole | American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease) |
| Ceftriaxon (Rocephin) | Broad-spectrum cephalosporin antibiotic |
| Cycloserine (D-Cycloserine) | Pulmonary TB |
| Diazepam (Valium) | Tranquilizer |
| Fluorouracil (Fluorouracil) | Chemotherapeutic agent |
| Isoniazid (Rimifon) | TB |
| Levodopa (Larodopa) | Parkinson's disease |
| Mefloquine (Lariam) | Malaria |
| Oseltamivir (Tamiflu | Anti-viral/ Influenza |
| Prostigmin | Myasthenia gravis/anaesthesia |
| Procarbazine (Natulan) | Hodgkin's lymphoma |
| Pyridostigmin (Mestinon) | Myasthenia gravis |
| Saquinavir (Invirase) | HIV/AIDS |
| Sulfadoxin (Fanasil) | Anti-infective agent/Cholera |
| Sulfadoxin + Pyrimethamine (Fansidar) | Malaria |
| Sulfamethoxazole (Gantanol) | Anti-infective agent |
| Sulfamethoxazole + Trimethoprim / Co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) | Anti-bacterial agent |
| Thiamine (Berolase) | Heart failure/Thiamine (Vitamin B1) deficiency |
Co-trimoxazole is a widely used antibiotic and also recommended by the WHO as a simple, well-tolerated and cost-effective preventative treatment for opportunistic infections in adults and children living with HIV in resource-limited settings.