The cholesterol-lowering medication Rosuvastatin was the most-prescribed prescription drug in Australia in financial year 2023, with almost 17 million subsidized and non-subsidized prescriptions written. Other commonly prescribed drugs in this period included the blood pressure medication Perindopril, the antibiotic Cefalexin, and the antidepressant Escitalopram.
To facilitate positive health outcomes for Australians, the Australian government subsidizes medications through its Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Annual government spending on the PBS amounts to several billions of dollars, with a much smaller share of the prescription drug costs borne by patients.
Leading prescription drugs in Australia in financial year 2023, by prescription count
(in 1,000s)
Characteristic
Prescription count in thousands
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Australia's financial year runs from July 1 to June 30; for example, financial year 2017 starts on July 1, 2016 and ends on June 30, 2017.
Supplementary notes
Data includes prescriptions under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS) and non-subsidized drugs that are under co-payment.
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Australian Prescriber. (December 1, 2023). Leading prescription drugs in Australia in financial year 2023, by prescription count (in 1,000s) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/694689/australia-most-prescribed-prescription-drugs/
Australian Prescriber. "Leading prescription drugs in Australia in financial year 2023, by prescription count (in 1,000s)." Chart. December 1, 2023. Statista. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/694689/australia-most-prescribed-prescription-drugs/
Australian Prescriber. (2023). Leading prescription drugs in Australia in financial year 2023, by prescription count (in 1,000s). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/694689/australia-most-prescribed-prescription-drugs/
Australian Prescriber. "Leading Prescription Drugs in Australia in Financial Year 2023, by Prescription Count (in 1,000s)." Statista, Statista Inc., 1 Dec 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/694689/australia-most-prescribed-prescription-drugs/
Australian Prescriber, Leading prescription drugs in Australia in financial year 2023, by prescription count (in 1,000s) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/694689/australia-most-prescribed-prescription-drugs/ (last visited July 22, 2024)
Leading prescription drugs in Australia in financial year 2023, by prescription count (in 1,000s) [Graph], Australian Prescriber, December 1, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/694689/australia-most-prescribed-prescription-drugs/