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ISSUE 6 DECEMBER
Top 10 drugs

Top 10 drugs

These tables show the top 10 subsidised drugs in 2008-09.

Table 1
Top 10 drugs supplied by DDD/1000 pop/day *, **
Drug PBS/RPBS***
1. atorvastatin 77.71
2. irbesartan 36.63
3. ramipril 28.62
4. perindopril 27.46
5. simvastatin 26.31
6. paracetamol 21.77
7. candesartan 21.44
8. esomeprazole 21.34
9. aspirin 17.79
10. frusemide 17.49
Table 2
Top 10 drugs by prescription counts **
Drug PBS/RPBS***
1. atorvastatin 10 950 483
2. esomeprazole 5 888 347
3. simvastatin 5 164 548
4. paracetamol 3 912 494
5. perindopril 3 891 971
6. pantoprazole 3 491 231
7. atenolol 3 224 057
8. metformin hydrochloride 3 201 944
9. rosuvastatin 3 165 641
10. irbesartan 3 134 403
Table 3
Top 10 drugs by cost to Government **
PBS drug name Cost to Government ($A)
1. atorvastatin 621 164 182
2. clopidogrel 210 600 588
3. esomeprazole 205 083 299
4. rosuvastatin 201 708 668
5. simvastatin 170 511 054
6. salmeterol and fluticasone 164 181 553
7. olanzapine 158 870 974
8. ranibizumab 154 941 222
9. rituximab 112 256 755
10. venlafaxine 111 236 036
* The defined daily dose (DDD)/thousand population/day is a more useful measure of drug utilisation than prescription counts. It shows how many people, in every thousand Australians, are taking the standard dose of a drug every day. The DDDs now include not only the use of the drug alone, but also its use in combination products.1
** Based on date of supply. Does not include private prescriptions or prescriptions under PBS co-payment.
*** PBS Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, RPBS Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme

Source: Drug Utilisation Sub-Committee (DUSC) Database as at 28 September 2009. © Commonwealth of Australia.

 

References

  1. Department of Health and Ageing. Australian Statistics on Medicines 2007. Canberra: Department of Health and Ageing; 2009. www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/pbs-pubs-asm2007 [cited 2009 Nov 12]