UK government to print cost to taxpayer on all medicine above £20

Prescription drugs with a cost to the UK’s National Health Service of more than £20 ($31) will have the price labelled on the packaging, along with the message that the drug was “funded by the UK taxpayer.”

The government says it will reduce spending and encourage patients to take the full course of medication. Jeremy Hunt, the UK health secretary, said it "will not just reduce waste by reminding people of the cost of medicine, but also improve patient care by boosting adherence to drug regimes."

A recent report by the UK government showed that wasted medicines cost the NHS £300 million per year, with £9 million in unused prescription drugs, and £50 million worth of NHS-supplied treatments disposed of unused by care homes.