A record number of prescriptions were dished out by the NHS last year, official figures reveal.
More than 1.1 billion drugs were dispensed by pharmacists across England in 2017 – the most since charts began 10 years ago.
Statins were the most common prescription across England – with more than 72.6 million prescribed. There were also 71.5 million prescriptions for high blood pressure and heart failure drugs.
Campaigners have today blasted the statistics, which also provided a full breakdown of the £9.1 billion the NHS spent on prescriptions last year.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said money was being ‘wasted’ on items available much cheaper in the supermarket.
The figures show health chiefs spent around £80 million on aspirin and paracetamol, which can be bought for pennies at supermarkets.
NHS Digital figures show that statins were the most common prescription across England – with more than 62 million prescribed
Each prescription of the 20 million paracetamol prescriptions cost the NHS £3.07. A pack of 16 tablets can be picked up for 20p at shops.
Number crunching by MailOnline shows the cash-strapped health service could have saved roughly £57 million by not giving out paracetamol.
On top of the higher prices, suppliers charge the NHS substantial delivery and administration costs to ship these products to pharmacies.
Figures also showed more than £16 million was spent on gluten free foods – which critics have previously claimed was a scandal.
Mr O’Connell called for NHS bosses to ‘think again’ about their priorities.
He said: ‘At a time when the NHS is failing to meet basic targets for cancer diagnosis, it can’t be right that taxpayers’ money is being wasted on basic items that are much cheaper to buy in the supermarket than they are to prescribe.
| BNF CHEMICAL NAME | WHAT IT TREATS | ITEMS | TOTAL COST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atorvastatin | High cholesterol | 37,342,946 | 52,621,269 |
| Levothyroxine Sodium | Hypothyroidism | 31,523,194 | 86,942,415 |
| Omeprazole | Acid reflux | 31,098,949 | 52,767,333 |
| Ramipril | High blood pressure | 27,917,683 | 41,671,345 |
| Amlodipine | High blood pressure | 27,738,391 | 53,871,437 |
| Simvastatin | High cholesterol | 27,222,816 | 28,790,823 |
| Aspirin | Pain | 24,850,635 | 20,447,492 |
| Lansoprazole | Acid reflux | 24,674,821 | 31,940,953 |
| Colecalciferol | Vitamin D deficiency | 22,890,918 | 94,266,022 |
| Bisoprolol Fumarate | High blood pressure | 22,366,401 | 20,506,083 |
| Salbutamol | Asthma | 21,998,457 | 59,437,628 |
| Metformin Hydrochloride | Type 2 diabetes | 21,163,271 | 90,825,310 |
| Paracetamol | Pain | 20,152,891 | 61,933,788 |
| Co-Codamol (Codeine Phos/Paracetamol) | Pain | 15,411,974 | 72,677,178 |
| Citalopram Hydrobromide | Depression | 14,289,426 | 21,650,894 |
| Amitriptyline Hydrochloride | Depression | 13,256,893 | 27,657,578 |
| Sertraline Hydrochloride | Depression | 12,924,636 | 17,389,454 |
| Beclometasone Dipropionate | Asthma | 12,421,020 | 208,763,160 |
| Furosemide | High blood pressure | 12,176,922 | 10,578,487 |
| Bendroflumethiazide | High blood pressure | 11,032,097 | 9,002,136 |
‘The NHS should be cutting out waste where it can and offering value for money, ensuring that precious resources are spent on essential services.
‘We know groundbreaking new drugs are often refused funding, so it’s time the NHS cuts out wasteful spending on everyday items and thinks again about its priorities.’
The figures come after NHS England – which runs the health service – launched a major consultation in December to cut more than 3,000 routine prescriptions.
These include painkillers, indigestion remedies, anti-dandruff shampoo and cough mixtures, although gluten-free foods will remain.
An analysis of the figures showed the number of prescriptions dished out have soared by 38 per cent in the space of a decade.
In 2007, some drugs were handed out across England 796,298,021. This was trumped by the 1,105,810,873 recorded last year.
Experts say the rise is being fuelled by the pharmaceutical industry, which is exaggerating the benefits of certain drugs.
But it is also due to the ageing population and the fact that many more patients are developing lifestyle-related illnesses.
The figures also showed that 69 prescriptions for cocaine – an illegal class A drug – had been written last year.
It is unsure what the stimulant would have been given for. GPs need individual licences from the Home Office to prescribe the drug.
The chemical formaldehyde – widely considered by health agencies to cause cancer – was listed for 361 prescriptions.
And more than 20,000 prescriptions for cod liver oil and 152 for the powerful toxin used in Botox were dished out.