Peptic ulcer medication usage, United States, 1989

An estimated 10 percent of Americans at one time or another will have a peptic ulcer. Thus a class of specific ulcer medications (antisecretory drugs--ASDs) will continue to be an important part of the pharmaceutical market. The U.S. market for ASDs has increased more than 50-fold since their introduction 13 years ago. By 1989, seven ASDs were available in the U.S. and 42.6 million prescriptions were dispensed. New prescriptions accounted for 43 percent of this total. Per capita consumption varied substantially by state: Arkansas led with 162.9 per 1,000 and Nevada had the lowest rate (65.1 per 1,000). Zantac, manufactured in 1983, accounted for 44.1 percent of the 1989 market; Tagamet (available since 1977) followed with 28.2 percent of the market. Internists were the predominant source of the prescriptions and ASDs were prescribed for peptic ulcers 82.8 percent of the time.