Abilify Overtakes Nexium as the Top Drug by Sales
NEW YORK, Feb. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Drugs.com, the leading online clinical drug resource, today released fourth quarter 2012 U.S. prescription sales data for the top 100 drugs.
At the close of 2012, Otsuka's antipsychotic Abilify overtakes AstraZeneca's acid reducer Nexium and moves into the number one spot with over $1.47 billion in quarterly sales. Sales expanded for all five front-runners over the quarter, although none reached double-digit growth. There are no changes in the top selling pharmaceutical classes, which include antipsychotics, proton pump inhibitors, and statins.
| Top Five Drugs by Sales, Q4 2012 | ||
| Drug Name | Gain ($000) | % Change (previous quarter) |
| budesonide | $79,295 | +42.52% |
| Abilify | $73,075 | +5.20% |
| Cymbalta | $69,131 | +5.97% |
| Lantus Solostar | $62,028 | +11.58% |
| Advair Diskus | $56,263 | +4.90% |
| Top Five Sales Losses, Q4 2012 | ||
| Drug Name | Gain ($000) | % Change (previous quarter) |
| TriCor | -$128,731 | -41.58% |
| Neulasta | -$29,497 | -3.54% |
| Incivek | -$26,778 | -9.14% |
| One Touch Ultra | -$24,687 | -6.59% |
| Avonex | -$20,275 | -5.17% |
AbbVie's cholesterol treatment TriCor drops 53 spots with a $129 million sales decline in Q4 2012 even though it did not lose patent protection until January of 2013. Neulasta, Incivek and Avonex also report declining sales of $20 to $30 million.
"The top five brands maintained their leading positions in the last quarter of 2012." said Philip Thornton, CEO of Drugs.com. "Fewer blockbuster brands lost exclusivity, however 2013 will bring a new round of generic competition highlighted by the expected Cymbalta patent loss later this year."
Zomig and Aciphex are additional top-selling brands expected to lose patent protection in 2013.
Detailed data on the top 100 drugs can be accessed at:
http://www.drugs.com/stats/top100/sales
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