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.

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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:

• the listing of the anticonvulsant drug topiramate as an alternative treatment for migraine prevention, for adults unable to tolerate beta blockers or pizotifen
• updated safety information for the glitazones - rosiglitazone and pioglitazone.

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