April 2023 in numbers
NHS community prescribing in England (Prescription Cost Analysis).
93,195,864items
Dispensed in April 2023
NHSBSA Prescription Cost Analysis
£846,704,408
Net ingredient cost, April 2023
NHSBSA PCA
Most-dispensed medicines
Download full month (CSV)| Medicine | Items | Net ingredient cost |
|---|---|---|
| Atorvastatin | 4,912,937 | £6,099,232 |
| Amlodipine | 2,909,026 | £2,932,912 |
| Omeprazole | 2,816,553 | £12,752,081 |
| Lansoprazole | 2,678,992 | £3,746,158 |
| Levothyroxine sodium | 2,665,768 | £4,145,935 |
| Ramipril | 2,598,591 | £3,984,161 |
| Bisoprolol fumarate | 2,231,476 | £2,240,472 |
| Colecalciferol | 2,091,229 | £8,401,687 |
| Metformin hydrochloride | 1,969,940 | £6,683,050 |
| Sertraline hydrochloride | 1,797,946 | £3,115,046 |
| Salbutamol | 1,626,215 | £5,013,162 |
| Aspirin | 1,601,278 | £1,538,839 |
Biggest risers
Largest month-on-month rise in items (medicines above 10,000 items).
| Medicine | Items | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Other individually formulated bought in preparations | 36,093 | +32.7% |
| Sodium cromoglicate | 61,202 | +20.7% |
| Olopatadine | 21,388 | +10.0% |
| Beclometasone dipropionate | 132,714 | +5.9% |
| Heparinoid | 11,683 | +5.1% |
| Fexofenadine hydrochloride | 441,491 | +3.5% |
| Desloratadine | 14,440 | +0.8% |
| Tracheostomy & Laryngectomy Appliances | 16,667 | −1.5% |
Biggest fallers
Largest month-on-month fall in items.
| Medicine | Items | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Influenza | 121,826 | −56.6% |
| Clobetasone butyrate | 84,347 | −31.3% |
| Typhoid | 26,203 | −29.9% |
| Phenoxymethylpenicillin (Penicillin V) | 235,380 | −28.3% |
| Amoxicillin | 735,793 | −26.5% |
| Benzydamine hydrochloride | 45,328 | −26.3% |
| Hepatitis A | 17,975 | −26.2% |
| Diphtheria | 13,525 | −25.1% |
Download this data
Every medicine dispensed in April 2023 is in this month's CSV. For the full monthly history — the national headline series, and the top 500 medicines ranked in every month — see the headline series and most-prescribed medicines datasets in our open data catalogue.