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ISSUE 3 JULY
Top 10 drugs

Top 10 drugs

Explanation

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