The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 274 No 7345 p445
16 April 2005

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Prescription Cost Analysis: England 2004

NHS prescription cost increase slows down

More than 686 million GP prescriptions for medicines worth over £8bn were dispensed in England in 2004. The number of prescriptions was up 5.6 per cent on the previous year, while the total cost rose by 7.58 per cent. This cost increase is less than the 11.4 per cent increase a year earlier.

As in previous years, cardiovascular products make up the largest category of prescribing, with 200 million prescription items being dispensed at a net ingredient cost of £2.15bn. Lipid lowering drugs cost the most — 29.4m prescriptions costing £769m; antihypertensives were prescribed most often — 38.6m prescriptions costing £610m.

The detailed statistics are accessible here