Key Summary
- The cost of prescription items dispensed in the community was £11.2 billion last year.
- The number of prescription items dispensed in the community was 1.26 billion.
- NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) annual Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) data showed the growing cost of medication and record volumes.
The rising cost and volumes of prescriptions dispensed in community settings across England was revealed in annual Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) data for 2024/25 released by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA).
The figures published on Friday (5 June) showed that the number of prescription items dispensed in the community was 1.26 billion, a 4 per cent increase from 1.21 billion in 2023/24.
The cost of prescription items dispensed in primary care in England was £11.2 billion, a 2 per cent increase from £10.9 billion in 2023/24.
Over a longer period, prescription costs have risen 20 per cent since 2015/16 (an increase of £1.86 billion) and total items dispensed have grown 16 per cent (+170 million items) over the same period
Atorvastatin was the most-dispensed medicine (73 million items) in 2023/25, while dapagliflozin had the highest total cost at around £333 million. Cardiovascular medicines accounted for 30 per cent of items dispensed.
Forxiga 10mg tablets (dapagliflozin) showed the largest single-drug cost increase from 2023/24, rising by about £97 million.
Data relating to the Pharmacy First service clinical pathways showed that rising costs reflect a mix of higher volumes, price changes and the growing use of newer, higher-cost medicines.
Responding to the new data on prescribing trends, Henry Gregg, Chief Executive of the National Pharmacy Association said: "This is yet more data showing that workload pressures are higher than ever on community pharmacies, with pharmacies dispensing more prescriptions than ever before despite the network being at its smallest for 20 years.
"The cost of medication is trending relentlessly upwards. The government needs to step in to stabilise the situation and bring an end to pharmacies dispensing at a loss due to soaring prices.
"It's clear that pharmacies are dealing with record volumes of medication and need the support from the government to meet this huge demand as well as invest in clinical services for patients."
