Hydrocodone is #1!!!!! Wooo!!!!111

[WVUPharm2007]

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The new Top 200 from Pharmacy Times came today. It always a fun way to look at how well advertising and "mini-skirt wearing hoochie to physician office sending-technique" influence prescribing habits.

(Random tidbit, the magazine comes to my mailbox addressed to a "Brigadier General M. Frazier" hahaha...)

So...

As far as NDC goes the list is:
1. Lipitor (Pfizer)- 74 million scripts
2. Hydrocodone/APAP (Merck) - 70 million scripts
3. Toprol XL (A-Z) 41 million scripts
4. Norvasc (Pfizer) - 40 million scripts
5. Amoxicillin (Teva) - 34 million scripts
6. Hydrocodone/APAP (Watson) 33 million scripts
7. Synthroid (Abbott) - 31 million scripts
8. Nexium (A-Z) - 30 million scripts
9. Lexapro (For) - 30 million scripts
10. Albuterol Inh- (WRK) - 29 million scripts


So technically Lipitor is #1, but that's only because the generic Lortab numbers are spread around (The Qualitest hydrocodone/APAP was listed in the top 200, too).

But think about the utter amazingness of that. Over 100 million scripts for Lortab were written last year. That's a lotta Lortab. We are a nation of druggies....

Now, as good capitalists, we should also discuss money...

1. Lipitor - $8.6 billion
2. Nexium - $5.1 billion
3. Advair Diskus - $3.9 billion
4. Aranesp - $3.9 billion
5. Prevacid - $3.5 billion
6. Epogen - $3.2 billion
7. Zocor - $3.1 billion
8. Enbrel - $3.0 billion
9. Seroquel - $3.0 billion
10.Singulair - $3.0 billion

I said....DAMN! I think amplodipine and atorvastatin are going generic relatively soon, too. Pfizer investors are on suicide watch...

 

[paradigm kenny]

Norvasc - Amlodipine is already available as a generic on the market.

Guess who makes the generic, Pfizer. Greenstone is the distributor, a division of Pfizer.

PFE stocks will do fine, blue chip companies don't go out that easily.

 

[bananaface]

Yeah it's been out about 2 weeks now.

 

[pion]

2. Hydrocodone/APAP (Merck) - 70 million scripts

I'm curious as to the last year that hyd/apap wasn't #1 🙂

Also, I think that's McKesson, not Merck...?

 

[dgroulx]

How come I can't get any hydrocodone? Geez, all I ever get prescribed are NSAIDS for pain.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

Yeah it's been out about 2 weeks now.

Well, I have been in fantasy rotations world.....

 

[WVUPharm2007]

Norvasc - Amlodipine is already available as a generic on the market.

Guess who makes the generic, Pfizer. Greenstone is the distributor, a division of Pfizer.

PFE stocks will do fine, blue chip companies don't go out that easily.

Yeah, for 6 months until a competitor comes around and pushed the price down. I'm not so sure they have anything all too good coming down the pipeline, either....

 

[ForcedEntry]

(Random tidbit, the magazine comes to my mailbox addressed to a "Brigadier General M. Frazier" hahaha...)

Mike,

I have a new found respect for you. That is priceless. Absolutely ****ing priceless. Well played sir.

Regards,

Admiral Nimitz

 

[Dustbunny]

Lesse how much Lipitor drops when the 2007 numbers are released next year now that Zocor is generic.

 

[Sosumi]

Is that list based on how many new prescriptions written or how often they're filled?

 

[WVUPharm2007]

It's how many were filled. It's compiled based on sales....

 

[MR. C]

300million people... 100million scripts. WOW

 

[acetyl]

Another one that seems to be moving faster is Zoplidem, which is still not "cheap" as far as cash price is concerned. I believe Kroger is selling it for something like ~$88/30 tablets, while the brand is ~$122/30 tablets.

Cefdinir isn't cheap either, after going generic. Wag's is still charging like ~$108/30 tablets versus the brand of ~$132.

Had someone today get upset with me because Medicaid wouldn't pay for the brand name of Lortab 7.5. I told em' it would pick up the generic, but they said it didn't have the little blue markings the name brand did.

 

[Dustbunny]

Another one that seems to be moving faster is Zoplidine, which is still not "cheap" as far as cash price is concerned. I believe Kroger is selling it for something like ~$88/30 tablets, while the brand is ~$122/30 tablets.

Er, you mean zolpidem? The price should fall out from Ambien pretty quickly, because I believe that Sanofi-Aventis bought the rights to that extra six months from whomever got their ANDA through first, so zolpidem was truly a multi-source drug as soon as the generic hit the streets.

 

[eeyore spice]

How come I can't get any hydrocodone? Geez, all I ever get prescribed are NSAIDS for pain.

We're going to the wrong doctors. Damn their responsibility and ethics...maybe I should start looking for a PCP in seedy bars and my spam email...

 

[BoltsFan]

Another one that seems to be moving faster is Zoplidem, which is still not "cheap" as far as cash price is concerned. I believe Kroger is selling it for something like ~$88/30 tablets, while the brand is ~$122/30 tablets.

Looks like Kroger is making a pretty good profit off the generic. At Costco, we're selling 30 tablets for around 12 dollars.

 

[Dustbunny]

Looks like Kroger is making a pretty good profit off the generic. At Costco, we're selling 30 tablets for around 12 dollars.

Yeah that's what we call a "loss leader." 😉 Wal-Mart does it, too.

 

[acetyl]

Not only is hydrocodone the number one dispensed, but it is also the number one drug as far as profit is concerned with some chains. I believe among the list for making money are simvastatin, fexofenadine, fluticasone, and albuterol. Push those generics ya'll.