The number of SAS-B approvals soared to 13,666 in September, outstripping the record high set in August by more than 25%.
It takes the 12-month rolling total of SAS-B approvals to 104,374, data from the Therapeutics Goods Administration showed.
September’s figure was more than double that of the same month last year and up sharply from 10,791 in August. As of September 30 there were 430 Authorised Prescribers.
Overall, more than 170,00 SAS-B applications have now been approved by the TGA.
More in-depth analysis now published by the regulator revealed there were 1,016 total prescribers in September, with chronic pain accounting for more than half the conditions for which medicinal cannabis was prescribed.
Anxiety accounted for nearly 4,000, followed by sleep disorder and cancer pain and symptom management.
Almost 7,700 prescriptions in the month were for oil – representing a 56% share – with ‘herb and dried’ cannabis taking a 40% share with 5,480 prescriptions.
Data also revealed that of the 13,666 approvals, 2,659 were for schedule 4 medicine and 11,007 for schedule 8.
Male patients continued to be prescribed medicinal cannabis more than women, accounting for 62% of total approvals.
Meanwhile, a little over 8,000 approvals were for Australians aged between 18 and 44, and 3,770 for people between 45 and 77.
