In 2008, total sales for prescription drugs reached $291.5 billion, a 1.4% increase from the previous year. Lipitor, a statin used to control cholesterol, was the top-selling drug, followed by the acid reflux medication Nexium, and Plavix, an anti-platelet agent that reduces the risk of heart attack or stroke. Sales of cardiovascular and gastroenterology medications, as well as ones that regulate central nervous system issues like seizures, depression, pain and Alzheimer’s, accounted for half of all drug sales in 2008.

Verispan’s data is gathered from retail pharmacies but exclude those filled by mail order, which comprised 7% of prescriptions filled in 2007.

The most prescribed drug to Medicare beneficiaries in West Virginia in 2007, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, was lisinopril, a generic drug used to treat high blood pressure. West Virginians have higher rates of heart-disease death: 237 per 100,000 compared to a national average of 200.