PEM Dataset
Description
We used three data sources: 1) the eighth version of the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (LEM) for children (WHO-LEMc); 2) the Peruvian Observatory of Pharmaceutical Products (POPP) in Lima from the “Dirección General de Medicamentos, Insumos y Drogas” (DIGEMID), the Peruvian medicines regulatory agency; and 3) the 2018 National LEM from the Peruvian Ministry of Health (MINSA). The POPP /DIGEMID is an open-access platform that provides information on the sale prices of medicines with valid health registrations, sold in both public and private pharmacies across Peru. DIGEMID administers this tool as established by Ministerial Resolution No. 341/2011 of the Ministry of Health. Data extraction from the POPP covered the period from July to August 2021 for medicines dispensed within Metropolitan Lima. For the purpose of this research, we excluded medicines that are not typically purchased directly by patients (e.g., vaccines, diagnostic tests, antiseptic solutions for hospital use, etc.)
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Steps to reproduce
First, we reviewed the current version of the WHO-LEMc, which includes 83 medicines containing 44 active ingredients for treating priority health conditions identified by the WHO . Then, we identified the LEMc medicines available in Metropolitan Lima’s drugstores and pharmacies according to POPP data and extracted all relevant records. We selected only medicines that are likely to be purchased by patients for personal use. Additionally, we used the 2018 PLEM to determine which LEMc medicines were incorporated into the national petition. To assess LEMc availability, we developed a classification system based on the methodology used by Persaud et al. 5. In our approach, we refined the concept of coverage to differentiate between the presence of a pharmacological molecule in the pharmaceutical market and its availability in the appropriate dosage form, as recommended by the WHO-LEMc. We evaluated the availability of each eligible medicine and dosage form in the study area.