Today’s news / Danish pharmacies sold more medication in 2023
The most packages and tablets of the pain-relieving medicine paracetamol were purchased in Denmark in 2023, according to figures from the Danish Pharmacy Association. (Archive photo). Photo: Signe Goldmann/Ritzau Scanpix

Danish pharmacies sold more medication in 2023

In Denmark, pharmacy medication sales increased by nearly six percent in 2023, distributing a total of 3.8 billion daily doses. The cholesterol-lowering drug atorvastatin was the most dispensed, comprising 359 million doses. However, paracetamol accounted for the highest number of packages and tablets sold, equating to roughly 170 pills per Dane. Supermarket and other retail sales of over-the-counter medication are not included in these figures. The largest expenditure was on the diabetes and weight loss medication semaglutid, present in Ozempic and Wegovy, reaching 2.8 billion DKK, a near two billion increase from the previous year. Semaglutid sales represented about 15 percent of total medicine expenses. Overall pharmacy revenue surged by 23 percent due to increased consumption and price hikes, according to the Danish Pharmacy Association.