Medicinal cannabis prescriptions approved through the Special Access Scheme reached their second highest monthly total of the year in October, with high-THC products making up close to half of all approvals.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved 11,870 applications through category B of the Special Access Scheme in October, a figure only surpassed in 2023 during August.
The year-to-date figure now stands at 110,650, putting 2023 on track to exceed the 117,000 approvals recorded in 2022 and the 122,000 recorded in 2021.
Category five medicines — which contain 98% THC — accounted for 46% of October approvals, while category one CBD-only products came in second at 19%.
Nearly two thirds of high-THC approvals involved patients aged 18 to 44, with 37% of those receiving prescriptions for anxiety, a condition for which high-THC treatment has limited supporting evidence.
Victoria again led all states, generating 43% of SAS-B applications — the fifth month running that it has pushed Queensland into second place.
Queensland contributed 40% of approvals, while New South Wales trailed well behind at 13%.
Oil remained the most commonly prescribed dosage form at 50%, with flower taking a 38% share of the market.
Consistent with prior months, chronic pain was the leading condition for which medicinal cannabis was prescribed at 44%, followed by anxiety at 31% and sleep disorder at 9%.
