Top 10 drugs
Top 10 drugs 2018–19
- Aust Prescr 2019;42:204
- 2 December 2019
- DOI: 10.18773/austprescr.2019.073
ISSUE 6 DECEMBER
Tables 1–3 show the top 10 drugs for the year July 2018 – June 2019. The figures are based on PBS and RPBS prescriptions from the date of supply. The figures include prescriptions under the co-payment (non-subsidised).
Table 1 - Top 10 PBS/RPBS drugs by DDD/1000 population/day
|
Drug |
DDD/1000 pop/day* |
|
1. atorvastatin |
71 .35 |
|
2. rosuvastatin |
57.44 |
|
3. perindopril |
51 .67 |
|
4. amlodipine |
47.95 |
|
5. candesartan |
32.90 |
|
6. irbesartan |
31 .48 |
|
7. telmisartan |
31 .26 |
|
8. esomeprazole |
27.62 |
|
9. ramipril |
26.97 |
|
10. metformin |
25.1 4 |
Table 2 - Top 10 PBS/RPBS drugs by prescription counts
|
Drug |
Prescriptions |
|
1. rosuvastatin |
12,026,655 |
|
2. atorvastatin |
10,967,105 |
|
3. esomeprazole |
9,278,12 5 |
|
4. pantoprazole |
7,375,606 |
|
5. perindopril |
6,551 ,5 7 1 |
|
6. cefalexin |
5,643,2 87 |
|
7. amoxicillin |
5,254,8 1 1 |
|
8. metformin |
5,0 17,700 |
|
9. amoxicillin + clavulanic acid |
4,706,645 |
|
10. escitalopram |
4,533,725 |
Table 3 - Top 10 PBS/RPBS drugs by cost to government (does not include rebates)
|
Drug |
Cost to government |
DDD/1000 pop/day* |
Prescriptions |
|
1. sofosbuvir + velpatasvir† |
$391 ,007,833 |
‡ |
25,447 |
|
2. aflibercept |
$358,636,7 2 1 |
‡ |
289,522 |
|
3. adalimumab |
$3 17,436,1 7 5 |
0.74 |
246,220 |
|
4. nivolumab |
$267,738,344 |
‡ |
53,8 61 |
|
5. pembrolizumab |
$220,469,394 |
‡ |
25,676 |
|
6. denosumab |
$218 ,970,1 1 8 |
16.80 |
786,535 |
|
7. ranibizumab |
$207,1 63 ,441 |
‡ |
180,7 2 1 |
|
8. ustekinumab |
$178 ,790,589 |
0.44 |
25,7 3 1 |
|
9. glecaprevir + pibrentasvir† |
$173 ,610,672 |
‡ |
9,207 |
|
10. apixaban |
$170,049,3 5 1 |
5.55 |
2,088,604 |
DDD defined daily dose
PBS Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
RPBS Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
* DDD/1000 population/day is a more useful measure of drug utilisation than prescription counts. It shows how many people in every thousand Austrralians are taking the standard dose of a drug every day. DDD includes use in combination products. The calculation is based on ABS 3101.0 – Australian Demographic Statistics for December 2018.
† DDDs for combination products are accounted for in constituent drugs
‡ The World Health Organization has not allocated a DDD for this drug Source: Department of Health, December 2019. ©Commonwealth of Australia
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