America’s Top-Selling Prescription Drugs – a Who’s Who of Blockbusters

According to a recent article in Forbes.com (2/27/06) that was based on figures obtained from IMS Health, a healthcare information company, the top 20 prescription drugs in the U.S. in 2005, with combined sales of $64.6 billion, were as follow:

1. LIPITOR – Pfizer – Treats high cholesterol: $8.4 billion

2. ZOCOR – Merck –Treats high cholesterol: $4.4 billion
   

3. NEXIUM – AstraZeneca – Treats heartburn: $4.4 billion

4. PREVACID – Abbott & Takeda – Treats heartburn: $3.8 billion

5. ADVAIR DISKUS – GlaxoSmithKline – Treats asthma: $3.6 billion

6. PLAVIX – Bristol-Meyers Squibb & Sanofi-Aventis – Treats heart disease $3.5 billion

7. ZOLOFT – Pfizer – Treats depression: $3.1 billion

8. EPOGEN – Amgen – Treats anemia: $3.0 billion

9. PROCRIT – Johnson & Johnson – Treats anemia: $3.0 billion

10. ARANESP – Amgen – Treats anemia: $2.8 billion

11. ENBREL – Amgen & Wyeth – Treats rheumatoid arthritis: $2.7 billion

12. NORVASC – Pfizer – Treats high blood pressure: $2.6 billion

13. SEROQUEL – AstraZeneca – Treats schizophrenia: $2.6 billion

14. EFFEXOR XR – Wyeth – Treats depression: $2.6 billion

15. ZYPREXA – Eli Lilly – Treats: schizophrenia: $2.5 billion

16. SINGULAIR – Merck – Treats asthma and allergies: $2.5 billion

17. PROTONIX – Wyeth – Treats heartburn: $2.4 billion

18. RISPERDAL – Johnson & Johnson – Treats schizophrenia: $2.3 billion

19. NEULASTA – Amgen – Treats chemotherapy side effects: $2.2 billion

20. REMICADE – Johnson & Johnson – Treats rheumatoid arthritis: $2.2 billion