Cardiovascular medications account for almost a third of all drugs doled out in Australia, and a majority of them are meant for lowering blood pressure, a new report released today stated.

According to the report, physical inactivity, obesity and high cholesterol affects over 50 per cent of adults, while smoking and high BP affect 20-35 per cent of adults, which was approved by Lynelle Moon, Head of the AIHW's Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes and Kidney Unit.

In some cases the occurrence of risk factors was on a rise, following obesity prevalence rising from 11 per cent of adults in 1995 to 24 per cent in 2007-08.

Drugs for blood pressure alone accounted for 20 per cent of all drugs dispensed, with four off patent blood pressure-lowering medications like ramipril, perindopril, irbesartan and frusemide. These were in the top 10 most commonly supplied drugs of 2007.

Between 1995 and 2005 there was a 13-fold rise in the use of statins, with atorvastatin, simvastatin and pravastatin being the most common in 2007.

Risk factors are being tackled through population level interventions such as awareness campaigns and school programs, but there is little data available on these activities.

'It may take years before we see any discernible effect on these three diseases,' said Moon.