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
