Start of Main Content

Healthcare Insights

Top 20 prescriptions by pulmonologists

October is Healthy Lung Month, and in the spirit of promoting the importance of these vital organs, this Healthcare Insight covers the medications most often prescribed by pulmonologists — physicians who specialize in pulmonary disease.

Using data from our ClaimsRx product, we analyzed the most frequent prescriptions made from January 2022 through August 2022, covering nearly 11,600 pulmonologists tracked in our PhysicianView product.

Top medications prescribed by pulmonologists

RankDrug namePercent of prescriptionsExplore dataset
1Albuterol sulfate11.80%Explore
2Trelegy Ellipta6.00%Explore
3Prednisone4.80%Explore
4Montelukast sodium4.50%Explore
5SYMBICORT3.90%Explore
6Breo Ellipta3.20%Explore
7Fluticasone propionate2.60%Explore
8Montelukast2.60%Explore
9FLOVENT2.20%Explore
10Spiriva Respimat2.10%Explore
11Ipratropium bromide and albuterol sulfate2.10%Explore
12Azithromycin1.90%Explore
13Anoro Ellipta1.90%Explore
14Fluticasone propionate and salmeterol1.70%Explore
15PROAIR1.60%Explore
16VENTOLIN1.40%Explore
17ADVAIR1.40%Explore
18Spiriva1.20%Explore
19Budesonide and formoterol fumarate dihydrate1.20%Explore
20Budesonide1.20%Explore

Fig. 1. Data from the Definitive Healthcare ClaimsRx product. Claims data is sourced from multiple medical claims clearinghouses in the United States and updated monthly. Data accessed September 2022.

What medications do pulmonologists most often prescribe?

Albuterol sulfate is the most frequently prescribed medication by pulmonologists, making up nearly 12% of tracked prescriptions from January to August 2022. This generic drug is inhaled by patients to relieve the wheezing and coughing symptoms of bronchospasms.

Trelegy Ellipta accounts for 6% of pulmonologist prescriptions and is used to treat both chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Third on the list, prednisone, is a steroid that suppresses inflammation and is used for many conditions including asthma.

What does a pulmonologist do?

Pulmonologists diagnose, treat, and manage patients with serious or chronic breathing conditions. Lung disease and respiratory infections and failure are common and chronic conditions affecting tens of millions of Americans.

The study of pulmonology focuses on the respiratory system including the lungs, mouth, nose, throat, and airways.

Respiratory conditions are diagnosed through procedures such as chest x-rays, bloodwork, CT scans, sleep studies, and spirometry.

Some of the main conditions pulmonologists see patients for include:

Learn more

Healthcare Insights are developed with healthcare commercial intelligence from the Definitive Healthcare platform. Want even more insights? Start a free trial now and get access to the latest healthcare commercial intelligence on hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare providers.