Most prescribed drugs in general practice in 2014 in England and Wales

15 April 2015

Media and marketing services company Cogora has analysed 2014 general practice prescriptions from England and Wales to identify the year's biggest movers and shakers, and set out its findings in a new report.

Key overall findings

The total cost associated with prescriptions issued by general practices in England and Wales rose from £8.91 billion in 2013 to £9.16 billion ($13.42 billion) in 2014. This increase (2.9%) far exceeded the 2014 inflation (0.5%) indicating a real increase in cost to the NHS.
There were large regional variations in the cost of prescription per registered patient. The highest cost per registered patient in 2014 was observed in Wales (£183.24 per registered patient) while the lowest cost per registered patient was observed in London (£111.19 per registered patient).
In terms of drug categories, the highest total cost associated with general practice prescriptions was for diabetes drugs, respiratory corticosteroids, analgesics, anti-epileptics and oral nutrition products, in descending order. Together, these five drug categories accounted for just over one third of the total NIC associated with all English and Welsh general practice prescriptions in 2014.
The branded pharmaceuticals with the highest total cost associated with their prescriptions in 2014 were Seretide (fluticasone propionate /salmeterol, from GlaxoSmithKline), Symbicort (budesonide and formoterol, from AstraZeneca) and NovoRapid (insulin aspart, from Novo Nordisk), in descending order. Conversely, the greatest number of prescriptions was issued for Ventolin (salbutamol sulfate, from GSK), Adcal D3 (calcium carbonate, colecalciferol) and Clenil Modulite (beclomethasone).

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