Special Access Scheme approvals reached their third highest monthly total of the year in September, as the pool of Authorised Prescribers continued to expand.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) granted 10,396 approvals during September, up 11.5% on August but nearly 25% below the same month the prior year, which had set an all-time record.
Queensland remained the top-performing state with 4,490 approvals, while New South Wales overtook Victoria to claim second position for the first time in 2024.
New South Wales recorded 2,760 approvals in September, which was 1,140 ahead of its previous peak for the year.
Victorian prescribers contributed 2,560 approvals to the national figure.
Across the country, September's prescriptions came from 925 prescribers — a slight dip from August's number despite the overall increase in approvals.
Figures showed the Authorised Prescriber count reached 1,406 as of August 31, a gain of nearly 100 over the month and an increase of 1,000 compared to the equivalent point the previous year.
Schedule 8 medicines made up 82% of September's total approvals, with Schedule 4 accounting for the remainder.
Chronic pain remained the leading indication at 45% of approvals, followed by anxiety at 28%, sleep disorders at 7%, and PTSD at 3% — a breakdown broadly consistent with prior months.
Oil held the largest product share at 52% of approvals, with flower at 37%, again mirroring earlier data.
Of the 3,870 flower approvals, close to 2,000 were for men aged 18 to 44.
The TGA's updated Authorised Prescriber data dashboard is scheduled to go live later this month.
