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ISSUE 6 DECEMBER
Top 10 drugs

Top 10 drugs

These tables show the top 10 subsidised drugs for the year July 2011 – June 2012.

Table 1 Top 10 drugs by DDD/1000 pop/day *†
Constituent drug PBS/RPBS ‡
1. atorvastatin 82.99
2. rosuvastatin 38.14
3. irbesartan 31.58
4. perindopril 31.16
5. paracetamol 29.64
6. candesartan 27.43
7. ramipril 24.95
8. amlodipine 23.33
9. simvastatin 22.03
10. esomeprazole 21.91

DDDs in this table include use in combination products

Table 2 Top 10 drugs by prescription counts †
Drug PBS/RPBS ‡
1. atorvastatin 10 855 535
2. rosuvastatin 7 035 996
3. esomeprazole 6 069 831
4. paracetamol 5 362 780
5. perindopril 3 926 940
6. simvastatin 3 800 924
7. pantoprazole 3 789 090
8. metformin hydrochloride 3 427 052
9. salmeterol and fluticasone 3 130 577
10. irbesartan 3 079 136
Table 3 Top 10 drugs by cost to government †
Drug Cost to government
(A$) 		DDD/1000 pop/day*
PBS/RPBS ‡ 		Prescriptions
PBS/RPBS ‡
1. atorvastatin 606 051 755 82.99 10 855 535
2. rosuvastatin 369 088 997 38.14 7 035 996
3. ranibizumab 367 753 306 § 172 785
4. adalimumab 205 117 624 0.39 115 277
5. esomeprazole 178 922 823 21.91 6 069 831
6. salmeterol and fluticasone 177 315 166 3 130 577
7. olanzapine 159 400 059 3.05 965 797
8. clopidogrel 139 521 901 11.00 2 635 142
9. etanercept 131 116 800 0.26 74 605
10. rituximab 129 299 223 § 59 284

* 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. (For WHO definition of DDD see www.whocc.no/ddd/definition_and_general_considera/)

† 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

§ The World Health Organization has not allocated a DDD for this drug

This combination does not have a DDD allocated Source: Drug Utilisation Sub-Committee (DUSC) Database, as at 3 October 2012. © Commonwealth of Australia.

Data are based on date of supply with processing date up to the month of September 2012. Data exclude 'Under co-payment' and 'Closing the gap' prescriptions processed by the Department of Human Services.