An Independent Review
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Top 10 Drugs

(Aust Prescr 2007;30:142)

These tables show the top 10 subsidised drugs in 2006–07. The tables do not include private prescriptions.

Table 1
Top 10 drugs supplied by DDD*/1000 pop/day

Drug PBS/RPBS

1. atorvastatin 131.799
2. simvastatin 58.072
3. ramipril 30.451
4. perindopril 21.681
5. aspirin 18.01
6. omeprazole 17.996
7. frusemide 17.984
8. irbesartan 17.28
9. salbutamol 17.116
10. esomeprazole 16.802

Table 2
Top 10 drugs by prescription counts

Drug PBS/RPBS

1. atorvastatin 10 000 495
2. simvastatin 6 231 212
3. esomeprazole 4 428 530
4. omeprazole 3 882 359
5. paracetamol 3 754 140
6. perindopril 3 633 536
7. atenolol 3 217 151
8. irbesartan 2 989 359
9. pantoprazole 2 922 724
10. metformin hydrochloride 2 822 776

Table 3
Top 10 drugs by cost to Government

Drug Cost to Government DDD*/1000/day Prescriptions
($A) PBS/RPBS PBS/RPBS

1. atorvastatin 562 234 406 131.799 10 000 495
2. simvastatin 309 227 367 58.702 6 231 212
3. clopidogrel 179 983 732 9.219 2 404 361
4. esomeprazole 161 102 420 16.802 4 428 530
5. olanzapine 157 471 533 3.073 775 475
6. salmeterol and fluticasone 157 239 113 § 2 789 814
7. omeprazole 114 030 881 17.996 3 882 359
8. pravastatin 93 389 809 13.537 1 870 879
9. venlafaxine 93 329 210 11.603 2 318 531
10. tiotropium bromide 91 223 529 11.987 1 303 682

* The defined daily dose (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.
Based on date of supply
PBS Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, RPBS Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
§ Combination drugs do not have a DDD allocated

Source: Drug Utilisation Sub-Committee (DUSC) Drug Utilisation Database, as at 11 October 2007. © Commonwealth of Australia.



NPS RADAR December 2007

Strontium ranelate: The PBS listing for the osteoporosis drug strontium ranelate has been extended to allow treatment of postmenopausal women without an existing fracture and a bone mineral density T-score ≤ -3.0 (primary prevention). The latest issue of NPS RADAR describes the place in therapy of strontium relative to other anti-resorptive agents.

It also contains information on:

See the complete reviews at www.npsradar.org.au



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