The WHO List of Prequalified Medicines Products was originally intended to provide UN agencies, such as UNICEF, with a range of quality medicines to select from. With time, the growing list of products has become as a useful tool for any agency or organization undertaking bulk purchasing medicines.
The WHO List of Prequalified Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) is used by manufacturers seeking quality-assured APIs for manufacture of finished pharmaceutical products (FPP). It is also used by national medicines regulatory authorities to validate the quality of FPPs when reviewing applications for marketing authorization. Procures also use the list when considering procurement of FPPs manufactured by the same applicant, or at a site at which a prequalified API is manufactured.
The WHO List of Prequalified Quality Control Laboratories is used, among others, by procurers, ministries of health, health care organizations and donors who need to organize testing of medicines at a laboratory and wish to be assured that the laboratory selected meets international standards and can provide the type of testing required.