A record number of Special Access Scheme medicinal cannabis prescriptions were approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration in April.
The regulator signed off 24,178 applications, more than 4,500 higher than the previous best in May 2024.
It takes the four-month 2025 total to almost 76,000, a rise of 47% on the same period last year and more than twice the number in 2023.
While SAS-B approvals represent a relatively small number of scripts compared to those written by Authorised Prescribers, they still offer a valuable snapshot of the industry’s growth.
Notable trends in April were the continued rapid growth of approvals emerging from Tasmania, while pastilles, or gummies, represented close to a fifth of all successful applications, the dosage form’s highest percentage yet.
Flower remained the most prescribed dosage form among doctors, appearing on 38% of applications, followed by oral solutions on 33% and pastilles on 19%, up from 14% in January and February and 17% in March.
Most of the pastilles prescribed were either a category 3 THC/CBD balance, or CBD-dominant category 2 product.
Inhalation accounted for 7.7% of approvals and capsules just 0.7%.
The sudden rise in applications from Tasmania continued during April. Having shot up in March to account for 6% of the market – way above historical norms – the number rocketed again to 4,130 approvals, accounting for 17% of the total and placing it above New South Wales.
The Tasmanian department of health told Cannabiz last month that it was unaware of any reason why the number has suddenly increased, confirming there had been no legislative or regulatory changes that could explain the spike.
Victoria remained the SAS-B capital of Australia, with doctors in the state responsible for four out of 10 approvals, followed by Queensland with 27% and New South Wales on 12%.
It was as you were with product categories. Category 5, THC-dominant products remained the most prescribed (51%), followed by category 3 (18%), category 1 (16%), category 2 (12.5%) and category 4 (2.7%).
Chronic pain, anxiety and sleep disorders, including insomnia, were again the conditions for which medicinal cannabis was most prescribed, accounting for 42%, 33% and 14% respectively.
The number of prescribers who lodged a SAS-B application in April remained steady on 917, one more than the previous month.
