According to the CDC, over $300 billion was spent in the United States on prescription drugs last year (2011) and almost 50% of all adults consume a prescription medication at least once a month.
Related: How these Top 5 Drugs Became Bestsellers
Where's most of that money going?
Check out the best selling of these brand name prescription drugs in the United States from 2007 to 2012. The data is sourced from research firm, IMS Health. Data from the current year (2012) will be updated as it becomes available.
Visualisation: Bestsellers ( US$ in Billions )
Top US Prescription Drugs by Sales ( US$ in Billions )
Use the search box to filter the list by condition or by company. The year columns can be sorted from highest to lowest, enabling you to view the top ranked drugs for each of the available years. By default, the drugs are ranked based on 2011 data.
| Brand Name (generic name) | Condition | Company | 2012* | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) | Cholesterol | Pfizer | 3.4 | 7.7 | 7.3 | 7.6 | 7.8 | 8.1 |
| Plavix (clopidogrel bisulfate) | Heart | Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sanofi | 6.5 | 6.8 | 6.1 | 5.6 | 4.8 | 3.9 |
| Nexium (esomeprazole magnesium) | Acid Reflux | AstraZeneca | 5.6 | 6.2 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 5.9 | 5.4 |
| Abilify (aripiprazole) | Mental Health | Otsuka, Bristol-Myers Squibb | 5.7 | 5.2 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 2.3 |
| Advair Diskus (fluticasone / salmeterol) | Asthma | GlaxoSmithKline | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.2 |
| Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate) | Mental Health | AstraZeneca | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.4 |
| Singulair (montelukast) | Asthma | Merck & Co. | 4.9 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.4 |
| Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium) | Cholesterol | AstraZeneca, Shionogi | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 2.1 | 1.7 |
| Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) | Mental Health | Eli Lilly and Co. | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
| Humira (adalimumab) | Arthritis | Abbott Laboratories | 3.7 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 1.5 |
| Enbrel (etanercept) | Arthritis | Amgen | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.1 |
| Remicade (infliximab) | Arthritis | J & J, Schering-Plough | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 2.7 |
| Actos (pioglitazone hydrochloride) | Diabetes | Takeda, Eli Lilly and Co. | 2.5 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 2.9 |
| Neulasta (pegfilgrastim) | Neutropenia | Amgen | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Rituxan (rituximab) | Arthritis | Roche, Genentech, Biogen Idec | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 2.2 |
| Zyprexa (olanzapine) | Mental Health | Eli Lilly and Co. | 0.8 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.4 |
| Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) | MS | Teva, Sanofi-Aventis | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| Lexapro (escitalopram oxalate) | Mental Health | Forest Laboratories | 2.0 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 2.6 |
| Oxycontin (oxycodone HCI) | Pain Relief | Purdue Pharma | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 1.0 |
| Epogen (epoetin alfa) | Anemia | Amgen | 2.0 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Avastin (bevacizumab) | Cancer | Roche, Genentech | 2.5 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 2.2 |
| Atripla (emtricitabine / tenofovir) | HIV | Gilead, Bristol-Myers Squibb | 2.8 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 0.9 |
| Spiriva Handihaler (tiotropium) | COPD | Boehringer Ingelheim | 2.6 | 2.4 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| Januvia (sitagliptin) | Diabetes | Merck & Co. | 2.3 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 0.6 |
| Lantus (insulin glargine) | Diabetes | Sanofi-Aventis | 2.1 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.6 |
*2012 - Projected based on quarterly reports.
Top US Prescription Drugs by Amount Dispensed ( Units in Millions )
| Drug name | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total US Prescription Market | 4,024.0 | 3,993.0 | 3,949.0 | 3,866.0 | 3,825.0 |
| hydrocodone / acetaminophen | 136.0 | 131.2 | 128.2 | 124.1 | 119.2 |
| simvastatin | 96.6 | 94.1 | 83.8 | 67.5 | 47.9 |
| lisinopril | 88.6 | 87.4 | 82.8 | 76.8 | 71.1 |
| levothyroxine sodium | 74.1 | 70.5 | 66.0 | 61.2 | 54.6 |
| amlodipine besylate | 62.1 | 57.2 | 51.3 | 44.6 | 27.9 |
| omeprazole | 59.3 | 53.4 | 45.4 | 35.1 | 26.6 |
| azithromycin | 55.3 | 52.6 | 53.8 | 51.0 | 46.3 |
| amoxicillin | 53.8 | 52.3 | 52.4 | 50.9 | 53.2 |
| metformin | 48.4 | 46.9 | 44.3 | 42.3 | 40.2 |
| hydrochlorothiazide | 48.1 | 47.8 | 47.9 | 48.5 | 48.5 |
| alprazolam | 47.8 | 46.3 | 43.9 | 41.7 | 39.8 |
| furosemide | 42.1 | 43.4 | 43.5 | 44.1 | 44.2 |
| Lipitor | 40.8 | 45.3 | 51.7 | 58.5 | 65.8 |
| zolpidem tartrate | 39.4 | 38.0 | 35.1 | 29.9 | 16.0 |
| metoprolol tartrate | 37.8 | 38.9 | 41.1 | 32.6 | 31.6 |
| citalopram HBR | 37.7 | 32.1 | 27.1 | 22.4 | 17.8 |
| sertraline HCL | 37.2 | 35.7 | 34.2 | 32.7 | 31.6 |
| metoprolol succinate | 34.5 | 33.0 | 26.9 | 41.5 | 21.0 |
| prednisone | 33.7 | 28.7 | 27.8 | 27.1 | 25.9 |
| atenolol | 33.3 | 36.3 | 39.3 | 41.8 | 44.7 |
| gabapentin | 33.2 | 29.3 | 25.4 | 22.2 | 20.0 |
| tramadol HCL | 32.9 | 26.8 | 24.1 | 21.8 | 19.1 |
| oxycodone / acetaminophen | 32.8 | 31.9 | 30.2 | 28.4 | 25.9 |
| ibuprofen | 32.6 | 31.1 | 30.3 | 28.5 | 27.7 |
| warfarin sodium | 30.9 | 32.0 | 31.6 | 30.2 | 28.8 |
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