Drug Prescriptions 2008

Here is an interesting dataset, the top 200 branded pharmaceuticals ranked by US prescriptions (usually this sort of data is presented in terms of sales) - the data is originally from www.drugtopics.com. Like many things in life, and science, the ranked frequency distribution cure pretty much approximates a powerlaw curve (a little bit of deviation from a smooth curve within the top ten most prescribed branded drugs though).

RankTradenameINNPrescriptions (,000)
1 Lipitor Atorvastatin49,043
2 Nexium Esomeprazole26,856
3 Lexapro Escitalopram 26,267
4 Singulair Montelukast 25,787
5 Plavix Clopidogrel 25,148
6 Synthroid Levothyroxine 23,113
7 Prevacid Lansoprazole 18,632
8 Advair Diskus Fluticasone/salmeterol17,820
9 Effexor XR Venlafaxine 16,910
10 Diovan Valsartan 15,684
11 Crestor Rosuvastatin 15,125
12 Vytorin Ezetimibe/simvastatin14,559
13 Cymbalta Duloxetine 14,422
14 ProAir HFA Salbutamol 13,929
15 Klor-Con Potassium chloride13,549
16 Diovan HCT Valsartan/Hydrochlorothiazide 13,196
17 Levaquin Levofloxacin 12,898
18 Actos Pioglitazone 12,518
19 Flomax Tamsulosin 11,576
20 Seroquel Quetiapine 11,509
21 Zetia Ezetimibe 11,046
22 Tricor Fenofibrate 10,997
23 Celebrex Celecoxib10,759
24 Nasonex Mometasone furoate10,463
25 Premarin Tabs conjugated estrogens10,442

Data for the full 200 branded drugs is here

However, things get a little bit more interesting when you include generic drugs into this analysis (for which the data is here, again derived from data at www.drugtopics.com). The most prescribed drug is Hydrocodone/APAP (APAP is also known as paracetamol/acetominophen) with 121,266,000 prescriptions; Lipitor, the most prescribed branded drug, with 49,043,000 prescriptions is actually only the 7th most prescribed drug. Interestingly 40 out of 50 of the most prescribed drugs are generic (80%). This visualisation below I tried to make with Excel, but it made me so mad and frustrated that I had to open a 75dl bottle of Leffe to calm down a little - in Spotfire it was so quick.... For orientation, branded drugs are shown in red, and generic drugs in blue.

And for the top 50, with some visible labels....

Data for the top 200 Branded and 200 Generic (not the same as the top 400 of all drugs!) is here.

Finally, since everyone is interested in sales as well, see below, for a full list of all US Blockbuster Small Molecule Drugs (sales larger than $1bn). Full data is here.

Sales RankINNTradename2008 Sales (,000)
1 AtorvastatinLipitor 5,880,128
2 EsomeprazoleNexium 4,794,450
3 ClopidogrelPlavix 3,796,221
4 Fluticasone/salmeterolAdvair Diskus 3,572,473
5 Lansoprazole Prevacid 3,295,465
6 Quetiapine Seroquel 2,908,971
7 Montelukast Singulair 2,898,060
8 Venlafaxine Effexor XR 2,657,729
9 Oxycodone OxyContin 2,502,982
10 Pioglitazone Actos 2,447,602
11 Escitalopram Lexapro 2,412,048
12 Aripiprazole Abilify 2,371,795
13 Topiramate Topamax 2,177,348
14 Duloxetine Cymbalta 2,170,162
15 Olanzapine Zyprexa 1,748,259
16 Valaciclovir Valtrex 1,684,192
17 Rosuvastatin Crestor 1,676,553
18 Ezetimibe/simvastatinVytorin 1,545,643
19 Lamotrigine Lamictal 1,539,101
20 Celecoxib Celebrex 1,526,818
21 Insulin glargineLantus 1,475,110
22 Levofloxacin Levaquin 1,461,080
23 DextroamphetamineAdderall XR 1,446,629
24 Pregabalin Lyrica 1,389,205
25 Valsartan Diovan 1,283,141
26 Fenofibrate Tricor 1,249,299
27 Tamsulosin Flomax 1,236,963
28 Risperidone Risperdal 1,221,505
29 Valsartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Diovan HCT 1,212,308
30 Ezetimibe Zetia 1,183,627
31 Donepezil Aricept 1,149,221
32 Tiotropium Spiriva 1,142,746
33 Methylphenidate Concerta 1,103,973
34 Rabeprazole Aciphex 1,052,133

Datasets:

2008 Top 200 Branded Drugs
2008 Top Generic and Branded Drugs
2008 Top 200 Drug Sales