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%) |