Top 10 Generic Drugs in 2008
In last weeks post I detailed the Top 10 prescription drugs for the US in 2008. And since I was half-way through before realizing it was non-generic only, I decided to complete it and follow up with this one.
In a follow-up post I’m going to get into the metrics a little more, comparing generic and non-generic.
Let me preface the descriptive nature of this post by saying it’s amazing we prescribe drugs at this rate. I knew we took too many prescription drugs. I knew we were too dependent on them. But actually looking at this data and what it says sheds light on the extent of the problem, which is why I’m writing a follow-up. So on with this one…
Forty percent of non-generic drugs are related, one way or another, to hyperinsulinemia. For generic drugs, it’s 50% and for the same conditions – metabolic syndrome. Table 1 shows Top 10 Generic Drugs by number of prescriptions (millions). Additionally, the table also shows total sales (billions) and rank (in parentheses).
Table 1. Top 10 Generic Drugs in US for 2008.
|
Drug |
Prescriptions (millions) |
Sales (billions) |
| Hydrocodone |
121.2 |
1.8 (#1) |
| Lisinopril |
69.8 |
0.69 (#14) |
| Simvastatin |
60.2 |
1.5 (#2) |
| Levothyroxine |
58.6 |
0.55 (#18) |
| Amoxicillin |
52.1 |
0.81 (#10) |
| Azithromycin |
49.3 |
1.3 (#3) |
| Hydrochlorothiazide |
47.1 |
0.29 (#39) |
| Alprazolam |
43.5 |
0.47 (#25) |
| Atenolol |
40.9 |
0.27 (#42) |
| Metformin |
40.1 |
0.54 (#21) |
Metabolic Syndrome Fab 5
The 50% of drugs related to metabolic syndrome (italicized in table) account for 258.1 million (or 44%) of prescriptions and $3.3 billion (or 40%) of retail sales. Chew on that for a moment…258.1 million prescriptions related to hyperinsulinemia, which is 25.1 (edit: 21.5 – operator error) million prescriptions and $270 million in retail sales per month.
Think anyone’s interested in keeping that kind of cash flowing? Do I have to ask?
Furthermore, these dollars are only a small part of the direct costs. No estimates for other direct or indirect costs are included.
Pretty disgusting, actually.
I mentioned last week that cognitive dissonance was to blame. I’m not so sure anymore. In my opinion, what we’re seeing here is nothing short of disgusting. There is plenty of research showing most of these problems can be fixed with simple changes in diet and exercise. Yet those recommendations aren’t coming. The ADA, for example, thinks type 2 diabetics need to eat 45-60 grams of carbs at each meal! It’s like telling someone with lung cancer that it’s okay to smoke one cigarette a day. Statinators are blind or on the dole. American Heart still spouts the low-fat dogma that has blinded all of them.
The more I think about it and the more I write about it, the more disgusted I get. What I need is a good laugh.
This post is part of the Kathleen Show, Prevention not Rx.
References (both are pdf documents)
1. 2008 Top 200 generic drugs by total prescriptions
2. 2008 Top 200 generic drugs by retail dollars
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