Top 10 drugs
Top 10 drugs 2019–20
- Aust Prescr 2020;43:209
- 1 December 2020
- DOI: 10.18773/austprescr.2020.075
ISSUE 6 DECEMBER
Tables 1–3 show the top 10 drugs for the year July 2019 – June 2020. 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 |
72.93 |
|
2. rosuvastatin |
61.03 |
|
3. perindopril |
52.34 |
|
4. amlodipine |
50.15 |
|
5. candesartan |
33.52 |
|
6. telmisartan |
32.19 |
|
7. irbesartan |
29.87 |
|
8. ramipril |
26.44 |
|
9. sertraline |
25.67 |
|
10. metformin |
25.51 |
Table 2 - Top 10 PBS/RPBS drugs by prescription counts
|
1. rosuvastatin |
12,968,693 |
|
2. atorvastatin |
11,241,737 |
|
3. pantoprazole |
8,283,205 |
|
4. esomeprazole |
8,171,291 |
|
5. perindopril |
6,688,735 |
|
6. cefalexin |
5,347,062 |
|
7. metformin |
5,183,224 |
|
8. escitalopram |
4,983,887 |
|
9. amoxicillin |
4,777,911 |
|
10. sertraline |
4,714,321 |
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. aflibercept |
$392,045,570 |
‡ |
315,200 |
|
2. nivolumab |
$344,751,398 |
‡ |
51,882 |
|
3. pembrolizumab |
$342,875,272 |
‡ |
38,860 |
|
4. adalimumab |
$320,969,041 |
0.76 |
257,328 |
|
5. denosumab |
$244,407,111 |
18.44 |
884,413 |
|
6. sofosbuvir + velpatasvir† |
$223,484,429 |
‡ |
17,733 |
|
7. ranibizumab |
$218,085,968 |
‡ |
190,126 |
|
8. ustekinumab |
$ 211,250,971 |
0.49 |
29,603 |
|
9. apixaban |
$210,022,698 |
6.81 |
2,580,428 |
|
10. glecaprevir + pibrentasvir† |
$186,730, 613 |
‡ |
9,956 |
DDD defined daily dose
PBS Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
RPBS Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
* 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. DDD includes use in combination products. The calculation is based on ABS 3101.0 – Australian Demographic Statistics for December 2019.
† 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 2020. ©Commonwealth of Australia
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