If you run a busy dispensary, you already know the feeling: certain prescription drugs appear all day, every day. The RACGP has summarised Australia’s most prescribed drugs of 2025 (covering 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025) using the Australian Prescriber “Top 10 drugs 2024–25” tables. For Pharmacists and Pharmacy Owners, this is a useful “what are we actually dispensing?” pulse check — and it also hints at where Pharmacist Prescribing and expanded services may create more questions at the counter in 2026. RACGP source.
Important note: there isn’t just one “Top 10”. The data is presented three ways, by utilisation (DDD/1000/day), by prescription counts, and by cost to government. Each tells a different story for pharmacies. Australian Prescriber tables.
Key Summary – at a glance
- Three “Top 10” lists: Utilisation (DDD), prescription counts, and cost each highlight different priorities for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Owners. (RACGP/Australian Prescriber)
- By utilisation (DDD): Cholesterol and blood pressure medicines dominate, alongside two SSRIs and metformin, the “everyday repeat” reality for many pharmacies. (RACGP)
- By prescription counts: Statins remain huge, with reflux medicines (PPIs) and common antibiotics also featuring — and counts can be influenced by 60-day prescriptions. (RACGP/Australian Prescriber)
- By PBS cost: The list is mostly high-cost specialist medicines, with semaglutide appearing due to both cost and high prescription volume. (RACGP/Australian Prescriber)
- Operational takeaway for pharmacies: Top scripts shape rostering, stock decisions, patient communication, and where Pharmacist Prescribing conversations tend to cluster. (Gorilla Jobs)
The “Most Prescribed Drugs of 2025”
List 1: Utilisation (DDD/1000/day) shows the true “everyday demand”
The RACGP explains that DDD/1000 population/day is often the most useful way to compare medicine use, because it estimates how many people per 1,000 are taking the standard dose each day. In 2024–25, the top 10 by utilisation were dominated by cardiovascular prevention and hypertension management (rosuvastatin, atorvastatin, perindopril, amlodipine, candesartan, telmisartan, ramipril), alongside two SSRIs (sertraline and escitalopram) and metformin. Source.
List 2: Prescription counts reflect dispensing throughput (and can be affected by 60-day scripts)
When you look at raw prescription counts, the list still features statins heavily, and adds reflux medicines (pantoprazole and esomeprazole) plus common antibiotics (cefalexin and amoxicillin). The RACGP notes some counts may be affected by the availability of 60-day prescriptions for certain medicines. Source.
List 3: PBS cost highlights high-impact medicines (not always high-volume)
The “cost to government” top 10 looks completely different: it is led by high-cost medicines with low prescription volumes (for example pembrolizumab and cystic fibrosis combination therapy), alongside medicines like semaglutide that combine higher cost with substantial prescription volume. RACGP summary and Australian Prescriber tables.
Why Pharmacy Owners care: utilisation tells you what repeats will keep flowing; prescription counts reflect day-to-day dispensing and workflow; PBS cost shows what can drive funding attention, access discussions, and specialist supply considerations.
If you want to explore beyond the Top 10 tables, you can also browse: PBS Expenditure and Prescriptions (1 Jul 2024–30 Jun 2025), the PBS Statistics hub, and the AIHW PBS monthly data dashboard.
What the 2025 Top 10 means for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Owners
1) Stock planning: the “repeat backbone” stays consistent
The RACGP’s key message (echoing Australian Prescriber) is that the same medicine groups have been prominent for many years: cardiovascular medicines by volume, with SSRIs consistently appearing in the top utilisation list. For pharmacies, that consistency supports a simple reality: repeats and chronic disease medicines remain the backbone of dispensing. Source.
2) Workflow and rostering: counts can shift even when utilisation stays steady
Prescription counts are closer to “how busy was the dispensary?”, but can be influenced by policy settings such as 60-day prescribing for eligible medicines. For Pharmacy Owners, this is where rostering, checking processes, and patient communications need to keep pace with how demand actually presents — not just what people use over time. Australian Prescriber notes.
3) Patient conversations: cost pressure and PBS changes matter
When “top drugs” meet everyday dispensing, patient questions often revolve around affordability, supply, substitutions, and “what changed?”. If you’re preparing front-of-house messaging for 2026, our Gorilla Jobs recap on the PBS co-payment change is a useful reference point: PBS Changes for Medicine Affordability from 2026.
Practical tip for pharmacies: Consider a one-page “quick explainer” for your team (including casual staff) covering (1) what 60-day prescriptions mean in your workflow, (2) how you explain PBS pricing changes, and (3) when you direct patients back to their prescriber for clinical questions.
Pharmacist Prescribing – why top prescription drugs still matter
Even though the RACGP lists focus on PBS dispensing data, the themes behind them (cardiovascular risk, mental health, diabetes, reflux, infection) are exactly the areas that generate recurring questions in pharmacies. As Pharmacist Prescribing and structured pharmacy services expand, the “top scripts” context can help Pharmacists and Pharmacy Owners anticipate what patients will ask next, and how to keep communication with local GPs clean and consistent. RACGP context.
Governance and GP communication are the difference between smooth and messy service growth
Where services expand, consistency matters: training, SOPs, documentation, patient eligibility messaging, and GP communication pathways. If you’re running or joining staged programs, these Gorilla Jobs references are directly relevant:
- Community Pharmacist Program (November 2025): governance, SOPs and GP communication
- Tasmania leads the way: extended scope of practice for Pharmacists (including prescribing programs)
- Towards 2035: transforming community pharmacy (strategic direction for expanded services)
Service-design lens for Pharmacy Owners: If you’re expanding services, treat it like a mini-clinical program: clear inclusion/exclusion boundaries, documentation standards, referral triggers, and a standard way to notify a patient’s GP when appropriate. This protects patients and protects the pharmacy.
Conclusion
The most prescribed drugs of 2025 confirm what most Pharmacists already experience: repeat medicines for cardiovascular risk, blood pressure, mental health and diabetes remain the daily centre of gravity for many pharmacies. But the three lists (utilisation, prescription counts, and PBS cost) also remind Pharmacy Owners to plan for different realities: what people take every day, what drives dispensing throughput, and what sits at the high-cost end of PBS funding. With Pharmacist Prescribing and expanded services continuing to evolve, the “Top 10” is a useful way to anticipate patient questions and keep communication, governance and workflows consistent.
Disclaimer: This blog is a general overview and should not be construed as professional legal, financial or medical advice.
FAQs
- Why are there three different “Top 10” lists for prescription drugs?
Because they answer different questions. DDD/1000/day estimates how many people are taking a medicine daily (useful for ongoing demand). Prescription counts are closer to dispensing throughput. PBS cost highlights high-cost medicines that may have low volumes but major budget impact.
- Which types of medicines dominated the most prescribed drugs of 2025?
The RACGP summary shows cardiovascular medicines dominate by utilisation (statins and blood pressure medicines), with two SSRIs and metformin also in the top 10. By prescription counts, reflux medicines (PPIs) and common antibiotics appear alongside statins and SSRIs.
- How can 60-day prescriptions change what pharmacies feel day to day?
When eligible medicines shift to 60-day supply, prescription counts can change even if overall utilisation remains steady. This can affect dispensing rhythms, patient expectations and how Pharmacy Owners plan rosters and workflows across the week.
- Why does the PBS cost “Top 10” look so different from the utilisation “Top 10”?
High-cost specialist medicines can have relatively low prescription volumes but still appear in the cost list due to their price. The cost list also includes semaglutide, which combines higher cost with substantial prescription volume.
- How does Pharmacist Prescribing connect to the “Top 10” data?
Even where services focus on minor ailments and structured protocols, patient questions often cluster around common conditions and everyday medicines. Understanding the most prescribed drug patterns helps Pharmacists and Pharmacy Owners anticipate demand and build clearer documentation and GP communication pathways.
Information Sources
- RACGP newsGP — “What were this year’s most prescribed drugs?” (18 Dec 2025)
- Australian Prescriber — “Top 10 drugs 2024–25” (9 Dec 2025)
- PBS — Expenditure and Prescriptions (1 Jul 2024 to 30 Jun 2025)
- PBS — Statistics hub (reports and datasets)
- AIHW — Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme prescriptions: monthly data (dashboard)
- Gorilla Jobs — PBS Changes for Medicine Affordability from 2026 (25 Aug 2025)
- Gorilla Jobs — Community Pharmacist Program (November 2025) (18 Nov 2025)
- Gorilla Jobs — Tasmania Leads: Extended Scope of Practice for Pharmacists (16 Jul 2025)
- Gorilla Jobs — Towards 2035: Transforming Community Pharmacy (1 Sep 2025)
