Top 10 drugs 2023–24

Tables 1 to 3 show the top 10 drugs for the year 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024. The figures are based on PBS and RPBS prescriptions from the date of supply.

Table 1 Top 10 PBS and RPBS drugs by DDD/1000 population/day

Drug	DDD/1000 population/day
1. rosuvastatin	84.59
2. atorvastatin	80.72
3. amlodipine	54.08
4. perindopril	53.65
5. candesartan	35.02
6. telmisartan	34.10
7. sertraline	30.64
8. escitalopram	28.65
9. metformin	28.32
10. irbesartan	25.33

Table 2 Top 10 PBS and RPBS drugs by prescription counts

Drug	Prescriptions
1. rosuvastatin	17,020,106
2. atorvastatin	11,877,199
3. pantoprazole	10,836,323
4. esomeprazole	8,270,226
5. perindopril	6,979,326
6. escitalopram	6,431,014
7. metformin	6,168,095
8. sertraline	6,041,182
9. amoxicillin	5,190,911
10. cefalexin	5,130,305

Table 3 Top 10 PBS and RPBS drugs by cost to government (does not include rebates)

Drug	Cost to government	Prescriptions
1. pembrolizumab	$580,519,979	68,148
2. elexacaftor+tezacaftor+ivacaftor with ivacaftor	$568,739,037	26,609
3. nivolumab	$449,363,401	62,276
4. ustekinumab	$438,267,241	60,496
5. molnupiravir	$430,190,110	371,952
6. aflibercept	$427,003,953	436,779
7. dupilumab	$368,349,053	214,577
8. apixaban	$346,176,827	4,157,993
9. nirmatrelvir with ritonavir	$325,856,114	270,376
10. denosumab	$297,539,759	1,178,731

DDD defined daily dose

PBS Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme

RPBS Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme

The prescription and DDD/1000 population/day figures include under co-payment (non-subsidised) prescriptions.

The cost figures are cost to government, excluding any patient contributions.

DDD/1000 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 2023.

The tables do not include items dispensed under the Opioid Dependence Treatment (ODT) Community Pharmacy Program (buprenorphine, buprenorphine with naloxone, and methadone) due to differences in how these products are listed on the PBS compared to other products.

Prescription counts for some drugs may have been affected by the availability of 60-day PBS prescriptions. The dates on which 60-day prescriptions became available were 1 September 2023 for atorvastatin, perindopril and rosuvastatin, and 1 March 2024 for metformin.

Source: Department of Health and Aged Care, October 2024. © Commonwealth of Australia