Most Prescribed Drugs and Supplements Counterparts


As a pharmacist, you probably know intuitively -- and may even be able to list in the correct order -- the nation’s most-prescribed drugs. (To see if you’re right, check our “top 10” list below.) You may even be able to name all the most popular vitamins and supplements in America. Not surprisingly, a lot of high-volume supplements are directly correlated with associated disease states (e.g. CoQ10 and fish oil for high cholesterol, versus Lipitor and other statins). 

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What may surprise you is some of the volume and associated dollar amounts for various drugs and supplements. For example, did you know that probiotics will represent a $69 billion industry segment by 2023 (yes, that’s billion with a “B”)? Or that magnesium sales surpassed $10 billion annually in 2020? 

See the charts below to learn the top drugs and supplement equivalents to treat various disease states. 

We’ve also got a list of supplements and their market sizes in US dollars.  

Lastly, there’s a “top 10” ranking of US prescriptions by volume. 

Stay tuned to this space, as in the coming months we’ll be adding research on the most profitable supplement brands and types of vitamins and nutraceuticals that are used by your independent pharmacy peers. 

Drugs and Supplement Equivalents

Drug Treatment For Supplement Equivalent
Lipitor/Statins High cholesterol CoQ10, fish oil
Lisinopril Hypertension Magnesium, CoQ10, fish oil
Albuterol Bronchospasm Vit D, magnesium, Vit C
Levothyroxine Thyroid deficiency Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D
Amlodipine Angina, hypertension Magnesium, CoQ10, fish oil
Gabapentin Seizures, epilepsy, nerve pain Vitamin B, Zinc
Omeprazole GERD Vitamin B and C
Metformin Diabetes Multivitamins, Vit D, B12, fish oil
Losartan Hypertension, stroke kidney disease Magnesium, CoQ10, fish oil
Hydrocodone/Vicodin Moderate to severe pain Turmeric, Vit D, Vit B, fish oils

Supplement Market Size

Supplement Treatment For Global Market Size in USD
Vit D bone health, diabetes, hypertension, fatty liver disease $450.2 million in 2020 (North America Only)
Magnesium Sleep disorder, hypertension $10B in 2020
Fish Oil inflammation, heart health $2.1B in 2020
CoQ10 antioxidant, heart health, HDL cholesterol $548.69 Million in 2020
Multivitamins   $38B by 2025 
$119B in 2020 (all multivitamins and supplements)
Probiotics Gastrointestinal disorders $69B in 2023
Curcumin/Turmeric Arthritis, inflammation $1.3B by 2025
Vit C Cardiovascular disease, colds $1.1B in 2020
Vit B-Complex Neurological function, stress, heart disease $642M in 2020 for Vit B-1
Vit B-12 Red blood cell formation, neurological function $409M by 2027

Top 10 Prescriptions by Volume

Medication Treatment For Global Market Size in USD
Statins/Lipitor High cholesterol Lipitor was worth $2B a year globally in 2019; The market for statins and cholesterol-lowering drugs will be worth an estimated $37B by 2027.
Ace inhibitors (Lisinopril) Hypertension; blood vessel dilation Estimated to be worth more than $8.1B by 2026
Respiratory inhalers (Albuterol) Asthma, COPD, bronchospasms $47B by2026
Thyroid hormones (Levothyroxine) Thyroid diseases and disorders $2.16B in 2020
Calcium channel blockers (Norvasc/Amolodipine) Hypertension  $13.3B in 2020
Gabapentin Nerve pain, seizures, anti-epileptic $1.717B in 2020
Omeprazole GERD, ulcers, stomach acid overproduction $2.6B in 2017
Metformin Type 2 diabetes $331 million by 2027
Losartan (angiotensin receptor blocker) antihypertensive $4.73B in 2020
Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen (Vicodin) Opioid, pain reliever The prescription pain killer market is projected to be worth $29B by 2023.

 


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