Here is a summary of 2005 prescription drug sales, for the 20 top selling drugs. The medications have been grouped by category, to indicate the sales by drug type. Side effects are listed, by category.


The bottom of the page has a summary of the top selling drugs of 2006.

Drugs Grouped
by Category

Sales

Primary Use

Company

.
Side Effects

HEART DRUGS (food related)

LIPITOR

$8.4 billion

high cholesterol

Pfizer

Serious - dark yellow or brown urine, decreased urination, difficulty passing urine, fever, muscle pain, tenderness, cramps, or weakness, redness, blistering, peeling or loosening of the skin, including inside the mouth, skin rash, itching, unusual tiredness or weakness, yellowing of the skin or eyes
Other - diarrhea, gas, headache, joint pain, nausea, vomiting, stomach upset or pain, tiredness

ZOCOR

$4.4 billion

high cholesterol

Merck

PLAVIX

$3.5 billion

heart disease

Bristol-Meyers Squibb & Sanofi-Aventis

NORVASC

$2.6 billion

high BP

Pfizer

18.9

BRAIN DRUGS (chemical balance)

ZOLOFT

$3.1 billion

depression

Pfizer

Serious - anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, inability to sleep, irritability, hostility or extreme anger, aggressiveness, engaging in unusual or dangerous activities, restlessness or inability to sit still, fast talking, actions that are out of control, extreme elation or feeling of happiness that may switch back and forth with a depressed or sad mood, fast heart rate, palpitations, dizziness or lightheadedness, skin rash, itching (hives), unusual tiredness or weakness, vomiting

EFFEXOR XR

$2.6 billion

depression

Wyeth

SEROQUEL

$2.6 billion

schizophrenia

AstraZeneca

ZYPREXA

$2.5 billion

schizophrenia

Eli Lilly

RISPERDAL

$2.3 billion

schizophrenia

Johnson & Johnson

13.1

BLOOD DRUGS (other drugs related)

EPOGEN

$3.0 billion

anemia

Amgen

Serious - chest pain, difficulty breathing, headaches, high blood pressure, muscle aches or pains, rapid weight gain, seizures, skin rash or hives, swelling of feet or ankles, unusual weakness
Other - diarrhea, fever, chills (flu-like symptoms), nausea, vomiting, redness, stinging, or swelling at the injection site

PROCRIT

$3.0 billion

anemia

Johnson & Johnson

ARANESP

$2.8 billion

anemia

Amgen

NEULASTA

$2.2 billion

chemotherapy

Amgen

-

11.0

STOMACH DRUGS (food related)

NEXIUM

$4.4 billion

heartburn

AstraZeneca

Uncommon - Chest pain or tightness, dark yellow or brown urine, shortness of breath, skin rash
Common - Unusual tiredness or fatigue, headache, diarrhea, nausea, gas, stomach pain, constipation, dry mouth

PREVACID

$3.8 billion

heartburn

Abbott & Takeda

PROTONIX

$2.4 billion

heartburn

Wyeth

-

10.6

RESPIRATORY DRUGS (pollution related)

ADVAIR DISKUS

$3.6 billion

asthma

GlaxoSmithKline

Serious - a feeling of pins and needles or numbness of arms and legs, dark brown or yellow urine, diarrhea, easy bruising or bleeding, edema or swelling of the legs or ankles, fatigue or weakness, fever, flu-like illness, muscle aches or cramps, seizure or convulsion, skin rash and itching, severe stomach pain, swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and/or throat, which may cause difficulty in breathing or swallowing, vomiting, wheezing or continued coughing, yellowing of the eyes or skin
Other - cough, difficulty sleeping, dizziness, drowsiness, headache, heartburn, hoarseness or sore throat, indigestion or stomach upset, muscle aches or cramps, nausea, runny nose, unusual dreams

SINGULAIR

$2.5 billion

asthma/ allergies

Merck

-

6.1

JOINTS (aging related)

ENBREL

$2.7 billion

rheumatoid arthritis

Amgen & Wyeth

Serious - fever, chills or any other sign of infection, depression, bleeding or excessive bruising, numbness or tingling in legs or other parts of the body, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, skin rash, unusual swelling or fluid retention in the legs, vision changes, weakness
Other - dizziness, hair loss, headache, nausea, vomiting, redness, itching or swelling at the injection site, upset stomach

REMICADE

$2.2 billion

rheumatoid arthritis

Johnson & Johnson

4.9

-

  Fastest Growing Drugs - Source: Forbes.com (from IMS Health)

Growth Rate/ Type

Vytorin

$ 917 M

high cholesterol

Merck/ Schering Plough

913% - Blood

Cymbalta

$ 667 M

depression

Eli Lilly

727% - Brain

Avastin

$ 948 M

colorectal cancer

Genentech

247% - Cancer

Mobic

$1,100 M

arthritis pain

Boerhinger Ingelheim

116% - Aging

Omnicef

$ 627 M

antibacterial

Abbott

61% - Bacterial

Humira

$ 857 M

rheumatoid arthritis

Abbott

59% - Aging

Herceptin

$ 750 M

Breast cancer

Genentech

52% - Cancer

60

120

90

130

130

170

My Observations, Opinions and Suggestions -
Long-term Natural Approach - How to Avoid the Need to Take These Drugs
An Holistic View toward Prevention
In many cases, the eventual need for these drugs may be avoided by changes in diet NOW.

Heart Drugs

1. Most heart problems are caused by diet.
Radically decrease your intake of fast foods, which are loaded with saturated fat, hydrogenated vegetable oil, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, and trans-fatty acids - all of which tend to clog up arteries.
Get a clue - stop eating crud.

2. Exercise. Get off your behind. Do something physical. Move. Do it often.

3. Don't expect a pill to save you.
4. The drug side effects are frequently worse than the original ailment.

Brain Drugs

1. Beware of "new" diseases. When I was a kid growing up in the 1950's, schizophrenia was so rare, they would make movies about it. Now, 5 of the top 20 drugs (13 billion dollars worth) are specifically for "schizophrenia", and "depression".

2. In the past, people had a normal range of emotions. Now, if you are sometimes happy, and sometimes sad, you have a "bipolar" disease that must be treated by a pharmaceutical drug.

3. Achieve A Positive Outlook - Deal with your past, stop taking mind-bending drugs, get religion of some type, seek spiritual solace, strive for a positive attitude, and remove yourself from negative people who will bring you down.

4. Don't expect a pill to save you.
5. The drug side effects are frequently worse than the original ailment.

Blood Drugs

1. Three out of the four top selling drugs are used to treat anemia.
Epogen (injection) - CRF - Chronic Renal Failure
Procrit (injection) - CRF - Chronic Renal Failure
Aranesp (injection) - CRF - Chronic Renal Failure

2. In many cases, the three drugs above are used to counteract the DAMAGE done by other prescription drugs, especially anticancer drugs and HIV drugs.

3. Epogen website - "Erythropoietic therapies may increase the risk of seizures, thrombotic events, and other serious events."
Procrit website - "Drugs like PROCRIT may increase the risk of blood clots and seizures."
Aranesp website - "Erythropoietic therapies may increase the risk of thrombotic events and other serious events. Seizures have occurred in patients with CRF."

Stomach Drugs

1. I would guess that 95% of all stomach problems are related to what you eat. You know what I am talking about. You know that when you eat certain foods, you get heartburn. Has it ever occurred to you that your body is talking to you? Have you ever considered the obvious, as in, don't eat the offending food?

2. The pharmaceutical companies want you to ignore the messages your body is sending you, eat some chemicals so you won't notice the discomfort, and continue along blissfully ignoring what you continue to put into your body.

3. When I was much younger, I would guzzle jalapeno hot sauce to confound my friends, with no ill effects. Now, 40 years later, jalapeno peppers are poison to me, and rip me apart like hot acid. Why would I want to seek a pill, so I can still eat these things? It would be idiotic. I simply avoid them like the plague. Easy enough. How about you? Do you still insist upon eating substances that your body has problems with? Why?

4. Don't expect a pill to save you.
5. The drug side effects are frequently worse than the original ailment.

Respiratory Drugs

1. This is a tough one. You need to discover the source of the respiratory distress, and GET AWAY from it. If you live in a crowded city, you have little hope. For years, GM fed us the line that diesel fuel is "clean", and does not cause smog. We now know that particulates from diesel fuel are a PRIMARY cause of asthma.

2. We can only speculate how many "allergies" are caused by noxious chemicals in our environment. And why so many are suffering from that new disease MCS - Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. I myself was poisoning myself with the mothballs in the closet - extremely nasty, until I threw them out. Both naphthalene and paradichlorobenzene are extremely harmful chemicals.

And what about those "room fresheners"? Should we breathe in MORE chemicals, to counteract the effects of bad chemicals in our environment? No. We should get the bad chemicals OUT of our environment. Tobacco smoke, diesel fumes, carbon monoxide, fabric softeners, insecticides, room fresheners, etc.

1. Many people have experienced great improvement for their joints, by using chondroitin and glucosamine. Dogs too. I fed C and G doses to a dog, whose hip pain was so bad in his right rear leg, he would not use it. He now doesn't favor the leg at all - an obvious improvement.

2. The pharmaceutical companies will NEVER say anything good about chondroitin and glucosamine. They cannot patent them, and squeeze you for money - therefore, they have a vested interest in denigrating their efficacy.

3. The Mayo Clinic gives chondroitin an "A" grade for the treatment of osteoarthritis - "Strong scientific evidence for this use".

4. ANOTHER VIEW from a reader: "Chondroitin could be a way of selling the waste cartilage slaughterhouses used to discard, at a handsome profit. The placebo effect may be at work here."

1. Medicine is a BUSINESS - NOT a science. Become aware of this. Medicine is the business of TREATMENT, not curing. If an ailment is cured, there is no reason for further treatment. If there is no reason for treatment, there is no way for pharmaceutical companies to make huge profits.

2. The side effects of almost all prescription medications ARE OFTEN far worse than the ailment being treated. Become aware of this.

3. Your doctor is not perfect. He receives his prescribing information from the pharmaceutical manufacturers. They want the doctor to prescribe their medications, whether or not they are good for the patient. Their primary objective is to make as much money as possible - the corporate imperative. The longer you are "treated", the more money they make. Become aware of this.

4. Some doctors have massive ego problems. They believe that because they went to school for a long time, that they are imbued with faultless judgment. If your doctor responds to your questions with short, terse, dismissive answers, get a new doctor. Don't let his ego keep you ill-informed. And sicker.

5. Take responsibility for your own health. Don't be lazy, and rely upon "medicine" to cure all your ills. If you are lazy, and simply "go to the doctor", you may be doing yourself more harm than good. EDUCATE YOURSELF. Study the medical information in great detail. KNOW what is going on. KNOW what is going into your body. Don't simply rely upon others, to tell you what to do. Their agenda is different than yours. Self-interest will always prevail. Don't end up saying to yourself, "Oh my G0d, if only I had known."

Drugs Grouped
by Category

  Primary Use

Company

.
Location

Lipitor

$ 12,890 M

  cholesterol

Pfizer

New York, NY

Seretide/ Advair

$ 6,470 M

  asthma

GlazoSmithKline

London, Eng.

Nexium

$ 5,180 M

  heartburn

AstraZeneca

London, Eng.

Norvasc

$ 4,870 M

  hypertension

Pfizer

New York, NY

Zyprexa

$ 4,360 M

  schizophrenia

Eli Lilly

Indianapolis, IN

Diovan

$ 4,220 M

  hypertension

Novartis

Basel, Swit.

Risperdal

$ 4,180 M

  schizophrenia

Johnson & Johnson

New Brunswick, NJ

Aranesp

$ 4,120 M

  anemia

Amgen

Thousand Oaks, CA

MabThera/ Rituxan

$ 3,950 M

  cancer

Roche

Basel, Swit.

Effexor

$ 3,720 M

  depression

Wyeth

Madison, NJ

Singulair

$ 3,580 M

  asthma

Merck

Whitehouse Station, NJ

Seroquel

$ 3,420 M

  depression

AstraZeneca

London, Eng.

Plavix

$ 3,250 M

  anticoagulant

Bristol-Myers Squibb

New York, NY

Avandia

$ 3,220 M

  diabetes

GlazoSmithKline

London, Eng.

Lovenox

$ 3,210 M

  anticoagulant

Sanofi-Aventis

Paris, France

Herceptin

$ 3,200 M

  breast cancer

Roche

Basel, Swit.

Eprex/ Procrit

$ 3,180 M

  anemia

Johnson & Johnson

New Brunswick, NJ

Cozaar/ Hyzaar

$ 3,160 M

  hypertension

Merck

Whitehouse Station, NJ

Fosamax

$ 3,130 M

  osteoporosis

Merck

Whitehouse Station, NJ

Remicade

$ 3,010 M

  Crohn's Disease

Johnson & Johnson

New Brunswick, NJ

Plavix

$ 2,940 M

  anticoagulant

Sanofi-Aventis

Paris, France

Ambian

$ 2,670 M

  insomnia

Sanofi-Aventis

Paris, France

Gleevec/ Glivec

$ 2,550 M

  leukemia

Novartis

Basel, Swit.

Avastin

$ 2,420 M

  cancer

Roche

Basel, Swit.

Zoloft

$ 2,110 M

  depression

Pfizer

New York, NY

Rituxan

$ 2,070 M

  cancer

Genentech

S. San Francisco, CA

Humira

$ 2,040 M

  arthritis

Abbott

Abbott Park, IL

Crestor

$ 2,030 M

  cholesterol

AstraZeneca

London, Eng.

Prevnar

$ 1,960 M

  vaccine

Wyeth

Madison, NJ

Lamictal

$ 1,950 M

  epilepsy

GlazoSmithKline

London, Eng.

Spiriva

$ 1,820 M

  bronchospasm

Boehringer-Ingelheim

Ingleheim, Ger.

60

120

90

130

130

170

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Prescription Drug Lawsuits

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Prescription Drug Risks

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Human Heart Diagram

Prescription Drug Side Effects

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Lowering Blood Pressure

STD Chart

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  Cholesterol Range Chart

Paternity Testing Summary

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