Objective: To fully guarantee elderly patients with fair and reasonable basic drug use, and to provide feasible management strategy. Methods: We selected the data of elderly patients who were over the age of 65 and participated in worker health in Jiangning district of Nanjing to analyze the situation of basic drug use and the composition of main disease. Results: The elderly patients mainly used antimicrobial drugs, regulating water, electrolyte and acid-base balance drugs, internal drugs (Chinese patent medicine) and cardiovascular system drugs. The main diseases of elderly patients were cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, respiratory disease, digestive system diseases and fracture damage, and etc. The economic burden of them was heavy. Conclusion: We should increase the basic drug stockpiles and improve their availability for the elderly patients, and minimize the economic burden of essential drugs by using classified control. Medical behavior of physician should be standardized, and the level of rational drug use of basic-level medical institutions should be improved. Meanwhile, we should strengthen the spread and education of medical knowledge, as well as highlight the effect of community pharmaceutical care.