The statin medication atorvastatin was the most dispensed drug in England in 2021/22 with 53.4m items, with overall dispensing figures slightly rising, data has shown.

The figure on the costs and volumes of prescriptions dispensed in England in 2021/22, published today (9 June) by the NHS Business Services Authority, found atorvastin was by far the most prescribed drug, followed by heartburn medication omeprazole at 35.3m items. 

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It also revealed that apixaban, an anticoagulant, was the drug with the highest cost of £401m, followed by enteral nutrition - also known as tube feeding - at £312m.

Meanwhile, the glucose monitoring system the FreeStyle Libre 2 Sensor kit had the largest absolute increase in cost between 2020/21 and 2021/22 of £69.8m, from £2.84m to £72.6m.

Overall, the data showed the cost of prescription items dispensed in the community in England was £9.69bn, a 0.87% increase of £83.7 million from £9.61bn in 2020/21.

The number of prescription items dispensed in the community in England was 1.14 bn, a 2.58% increase of 28.7m items from 1.11bn in 2020/21.

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This comes after prescription charges in England were frozen for the first time in over a decade in May to help the public with cost-of-living pressures.

The 10 most dispensed chemical substances by total items in 2021/22:

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  • Atorvastatin – 53.4m items
  • Omeprazole – 35.3m items
  • Levothyroxine sodium – 33.3m items
  • Amlodipine – 33.3m items
  • Lansoprazole – 31.4m items
  • Ramipril – 30.5m items
  • Bisoprolol fumarate – 26.6m items
  • Colecalciferol – 25.3m items
  • Metformin hydrochloride – 23.6m items
  • Salbutamol – 21.2m items

The 10 most dispensed chemical substances by cost in 2021/22:

  • Apixaban - £401m
  • Enteral nutrition - £312m
  • Beclometasone dipropionate - £294m
  • Rivaroxaban - £243
  • Glucose blood testing reagents - £129m
  • Influenza vaccine - £128m
  • Budesonide - £120m
  • Fluticasone propionate (inhalation - £120m
  • Other food for special diet preparations - £99m
  • Colecalciferol - £97m