Evaluating World Health Organization Essential Medicines List for Skin Disease

Skin diseases comprise nearly 2% of all health burden and are the 4 leading cause of non-fatal disease globally. To address such needs, the World Health Organization List of Essential Medicines (WMLEM) aims to meet the basic needs of global communities by recommending effective, cost-efficient therapies. While an inherently difficult task, disparities are noted in the WMLEM. Herein, this letter utilizes Global Burden of Disease (GBD), Treatment of Skin Disease (5 edition) (TSD), and Evidence-Based Dermatology (3 edition) (EBD) data, and expert opinion to explore the paucities of the current WMLEM.