US Prescription Drug Sales Grow Slowly; Hydrocodone Most Prescribed

March 25, 2009

This article is included in these additional categories:

Analytics, Automated & MarTech | Financial Services | Pharma & Healthcare | Retail & E-Commerce

Annual US prescription sales hit $291 billion in 2008, but experienced slower-than usual growth of 1.3% because of slowing demand and the struggling economy, according to IMS Health, which also reported that dispensed prescription volume in the US grew at a 0.9% pace.

IMS Health reports that the lower growth rate was influenced by a number of factors:

  • Higher demand for less-expensive generic drugs
  • Lower new product sales
  • Reduced overall consumer demand because of the economic downturn

Top Therapeutic Classes by US Sales

Across the major therapy classes, antispsychotics accounted for the largest sales dollar volume, reaching $291.5 billion in 2008, up from $287.6 billion in 2007. Lipid regulators had the second highest sales volume, followed by proton pump inhibitors – which decreased in sales volume over 2007 – and seizure disorder inhibitors.

ims-top-15-us-therapeutic-classes-sales-2008.jpg

Top Therapeutic Classes by Dispensed Prescriptions

Across the major therapy classes, lipid regulators were the most widely dispensed retail prescription medications on a volume basis in 2008, followed closely by codeine and combinations, anti-depressants, ACE inhibitors and beta blockers.

ims-top-15-us-therapeutic-classes-dispensed-prescriptions-2008.jpg

Top Pharmaceutical Products by Dispensed Prescriptions

Pain Reliever Hydrocodone with Acetaminophen (APAP) was the most widely prescribed individual medication, accounting for 3,843.1 million prescriptions in 2008. The second- and third-most-prescribed medications were ACE inhibitor Lisinopril and Simvastatin (brand name Zocor) for high cholesterol.

ims-top-15-us-pharmaceutical-products-dispensed-prescriptions-2008.jpg

Top Pharmaceutical Products by Sales

Cholesterol-lowering medication Lipitor had the highest dollar volume of sales in the US ($291.5 billion), followed by Nexium, Plavix, and Advair Diskus.

ims-top-15-us-pharmaceutical-products-sales-2008.jpg

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