OxyContin’s Market Share Has Always Been Small
Prescriptions for OxyContin have never accounted for more than 4% of the market for prescription opioids. Media reports often incorrectly refer to OxyContin when to be accurate they should instead refer to oxycodone, the commonly prescribed generic medicine.
The data[1] shows:
- While the rest of the prescription opioid market was growing, OxyContin’s market share was generally shrinking.
- OxyContin has never been more than 4% of opioid prescriptions (market share peaked in 2001; overall prescriptions peaked in 2003).
- OxyContin was only 1.4% of opioid prescriptions as of September 2018.
All Opioid Prescriptions: 1992–2018
OxyContin’s Market Share Has Always Been Small, by Any Measure
3.7%
total number of prescriptions, peaked in 2001[1]
3.3%
total number of pills, averaged between 2006-2012[2]
16%
Morphine Milligram Equivalent (MME), peaked in 2001 & 2002[1]
Immediate-Release Prescription Opioids Have Always Dominated the Market
Extended-release prescription opioids, including OxyContin, have only been 9% of the total prescription opioid market, while immediate-release prescription opioids have represented 91% of the market.
Estimated number of prescriptions dispensed for all opioid analgesics from U.S. outpatient retail pharmacies: 2006-2019[3]
