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ISSUE 6 DECEMBER
Top 10 drugs

Top 10 drugs 2019–20

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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