The following are the top 10 prescriptions in Canada,based on number of prescriptions,( not cost ) for the year 2006, according to IMS.
1. Lipitor
2. Synthroid
3. Altace
4. Norvasc
5. Effexor
6. Pantoloc
7. Tylenol with codeine #3
8. Apo-furosemide
9. Ratio-salbutamol
10. Apo-hydro
The first of the drugs used by rheumatologists would be Celebrex (#25) followed by Actonel (26). Naproxen falls lower at #42- Apo-naproxen, but it's possible that the total naproxen prescriptions would fall higher if all the different generics and brand name were combined. Apo-amitriptyline, if you consider it a rheumatological drug, falls at #22.
Lipitor? Altace?
Talk about financial inefficiency. I know your government takes a hard line on drug pricing and pays far less than we do down in the States, but surely making simvastatin preferred over Lipitor and lisinopril (or any of the generic ACEi drugs) preferred over Altace would save your country billions?
Posted by: RJS | December 11, 2007 at 08:23 AM