These tables supersede the tables published last year (Aust Prescr 1993;16:28). The defined daily dose (DDD) is the usual adult dose for the drug and the DDD/thousand people/day is an internationally recognised measure of drug utilisation.
Table 1 Top 10 drugs by defined daily dose/thousand population/day - 1992
Drug
PBS/RPBS
Guild survey
Total community use
1. salbutamol
22.800
7.468
30.268
2. frusemide
20.419
2.529
22.948
3. beclomethasone dipropionate*
12.017
0.249
12.266
4. captopril
11.886
0.011
11.897
5. oestrogens conjugated+
4.204
6.251
10.455
6. budesonide
10.360
0.009
10.369
7. naproxen
6.509
3.611
10.120
8. medroxyprogesterone
5.331
4.555
9.886
9. digoxin
8.315
1.499
9.814
10. hydrochlorothiazide with amiloride
6.959
2.791
9.750
* unlike 1991, data includes only inhaled preparations
+ due to the recent assignment of DDDs to some products, conjugated oestrogens would have appeared at number 7 in the 1991 top 10 table.
Changes from 1991 table: In budesonide, medroxyprogesterone Out theophylline, verapamil
Table 2
Top 10 drugs by prescription counts - 1992
Drug
PBS/RPBS
Guild survey
Total community use
1. amoxycillin
2,954,575
3,666,479
6,621,054
2. salbutamol
3,825,136
1,059,235
4,884,371
3. paracetamol
3,108,221
86,707
3,194,928
4. doxycycline
1,348,068
1,730,803
3,078,871
5. atenolol
1,899,145
1,027,461
2,926,606
6. temazepam
2,282,800
595,775
2,878,575
7. codeine with paracetamol
1,943,975
857,570
2,801,545
8. betamethasone
1,610,851
1,143,325
2,754,176
9. enalapril
2,679,731
2,683
2,682,414
10. amoxycillin with potassium clavulanate
1,855,709
825,274
2,680,983
Changes from 1991 table: In enalapril, codeine with paracetamol, amoxycillin with potassium clavulanate Out beclomethasone dipropionate, oxazepam, erythromycin
Table 3
Top 10 drugs by cost to government - 1992
Drug
PBS/RPBS DDD/1000/day
PBS/RPBS scripts
Cost to government ($A)
1. simvastatin
5.626
1,795,568
81,657,469
2. enalapril
8.942
2,679,731
69,878,719
3. captopril
11.886
1,351,589
59,435,547
4. ranitidine
7.109
1,495,166
50,464,080
5. salbutamol
22.800
3,825,136
45,053,358
7. cimetidine
5.856
1,249,344
31,945,143
6. beclomethasone dipropionate*
12.894
2,247,857
31,553,757
8. ipratropium bromide
7.063
1,071,677
30,483,688
9. budesonide
10.360
980,819
28,055,618
10. glyceryl trinitrate
8.647
1,315,521
27,774,725
* unlike 1991, data includes only inhaled preparations
Changes from 1991 table: In budesonide, cimetidine, ipratropium bromide Out felodipine, nifedipine, verapamil
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