Medicines are an essential part of healthcare. They not only save lives and promote health but prevent diseases and epidemics, too. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about half of the U.S. population used a prescription drug in the past 30days.
For many patients, outpatient care plays an important role in accessing prescription drugs. Outpatient prescription drugs are typically those that may be obtained only by prescription and dispensed bypharmacies.
We used Definitive Healthcare data to examine outpatient prescription drug trends, including the most prescribed drugs based on the percentage of claims in 2022 YTD. These drugs treat common illnesses and health conditions and reflect the health needs of U.S.patients.
What are the most common outpatient prescriptiondrugs?
According to our database, some of the most common outpatient prescription drugs were related to chronic conditions, like heart disease and diabetes, and infections. Based on percentage of claims, the top outpatient prescriptions were those used to treat high cholesterol and high blood pressure(hypertension).
Many of the same drugs have remained in the top 20 spots for several years. All are genericdrugs.
Atorvastatin calcium was the most prescribed drug in 2022, with 2.8% of claims. Atorvastatin is a statin used to treat abnormal lipid levels and prevent cardiovascular disease. It blocks an enzyme that helps make cholesterol and causes an increase in the breakdown of cholesterol. Atorvastatin is the generic form of the brand-name medicineLipitor.
Lisinopril was the second most common drug, with 2.0% of claims. Lisinopril is an ACE inhibitor used to treat high blood pressure as well as heart failure when used in combination with other drugs. It’s also used to prevent kidney problems in patients withdiabetes.
Amlodipine besylate, a calcium channel blocker (CCB), ranked third on our list, with 1.9% of claims in 2022 YTD. Amlodipine is used to treat high blood pressure and certain types of chest pain(angina).
Which conditions do the top prescription drugstreat?
The top outpatient prescription medications treat some of the most common diseases in the U.S., such as heart disease and diabetes. Other commonly prescribed drugstreat:
Asthma
Bacterialinfections
Gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD)
Highcholesterol
High bloodpressure
Inflammatoryconditions
Pain
Thyroiddisease
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