Table 2.
Most commonly prescribed medicines
| Chemical subgroupb Most prevalent active pharmaceutical ingredient (API)c |
Absolute and relative frequency of prescriptionsa (n, %) |
|---|---|
| Platelet aggregation inhibitors excl. Heparin (B01AC): | 323 (6.5%) |
| Acetylsalicylic acid (B01AC06) | 261 (5.2%) |
| Beta blocking agents, selective (C07AB): | 297 (5.9%) |
| Bisoprolol (C07AB07) | 135 (2.7%) |
| Metoprolol (C07AB02) | 128 (2.6%) |
| HMG CoA reductase inhibitors (C10AA) | 297 (5.9%) |
| Simvastatin (C01AA01) | 256 (5.1%) |
| Proton pump inhibitors (A02BC) | 231 (4.6%) |
| Omeprazole (A02BC01) | 126 (2.5%) |
| Pantoprazole (A02BC02) | 93 (1.9%) |
| ACE inhibitors, plain (C09AA) | 218 (4.4%) |
| Ramipril (C09AA05) | 139 (2.8%) |
| Dihydropyridine derivatives (C08CA) | 208 (4.2%) |
| Amlodipine (C08CA01) | 148 (3.0%) |
| Sulfonamides, plain (C03CA) | 176 (3.5%) |
| Torasemide (C03CA04) | 133 (2.7%) |
| Thyroid hormones (H03AA) | 159 (3.2%) |
| Levothyroxine (H03AA01) | 119 (2.4%) |
| Biguanides (A10BA) | 131 (2.6%) |
| Metformin (A10BA02) | 131 (2.6%) |
| Preparations inhibiting uric acid production (M04AA) | 123 (2.5%) |
| Allopurinol (M04AA01) | 120 (2.4%) |
| Angiotensin II antagonists, plain (C09CA) | 117 (2.3%) |
| Candesartan (C09CA06) | 40 (0.8%) |
| Low-Ceiling Diuretics, Thiazides, plain (C03AA) | 97 (1.9%) |
| Hydrochlorothiazide (C03AA03) | 97 (1.9%) |
| Selective beta-2-adrenoreceptor agonists (R03AC) | 95 (1.9%) |
| Salbutamol (R03AC02) | 46 (0.9%) |
aRelative frequency: absolute numbers of prescriptions with regard to the total number of reference prescriptions (N = 4999)
baccording to the 4th level, chemical subgroup (5-digit ATC code)
caccording to the 5th level, chemical substance (7-digit ATC code)