The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) rubber stamped more than 16,000 Special Access Scheme applications in January as medicinal cannabis prescription numbers got off to a strong start in 2025.
The figure – 16,218 – was 53% higher than last January and was bettered by only three months in 2024. Applications were submitted by 855 prescribers, down from 872 in January 2024.
The number of prescriptions for pastilles, or gummies, continued to accelerate, with the dosage form accounting for nearly 14% of the market, up from 4.8% of the 2024 total.
Flower was the most prescribed dosage form in January, responsible for 42% of approvals (6,800), followed by oral solutions with 33.5% (5,430 approvals).
In keeping with recent trends, category five medicine, which contains more than 98% THC, continued to grow its share of the market, rising to 55%, up from the 53% of the 2024 total.
Doctors received approvals for 2,790 category 3 products (17%), with category one, CBD-dominant prescriptions, accounting for 16% (2,640).
The conditions for which medicinal cannabis was most prescribed also followed historical trends.
Chronic pain topped the list (41.5%), followed by anxiety (34.3%), sleep disorders, including insomnia (12.6%), ADHD (2.2%) and PTSD (2.1%).
Victoria again led the way in terms of the Special Access Scheme as doctors in the state generated 46% of approvals, ahead of Queensland with 33.6% and New South Wales on close to 17%.
