May 2026 in numbers
Dispensed in May 2026
NHSBSA Prescription Cost Analysis
Net ingredient cost, May 2026
NHSBSA PCA
Figure 1. The most-dispensed medicines in England, May 2026
Source: NHSBSA English Prescribing Dataset
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Most-dispensed medicines
Download full month (CSV)| Medicine | Items | Net ingredient cost |
|---|---|---|
| Atorvastatin | 6,507,199 | £5,976,467 |
| Amlodipine | 3,414,766 | £2,823,481 |
| Lansoprazole | 3,096,538 | £3,644,850 |
| Ramipril | 2,996,982 | £5,941,987 |
| Levothyroxine sodium | 2,853,217 | £3,407,311 |
| Omeprazole | 2,823,653 | £8,020,766 |
| Bisoprolol fumarate | 2,583,577 | £6,764,619 |
| Colecalciferol | 2,411,802 | £10,240,564 |
| Metformin hydrochloride | 2,247,052 | £4,969,944 |
| Sertraline hydrochloride | 2,151,793 | £4,396,941 |
| Aspirin | 1,648,365 | £4,592,082 |
| Amitriptyline hydrochloride | 1,353,284 | £1,443,147 |
Biggest risers
Largest month-on-month rise in items (medicines above 10,000 items).
| Medicine | Items | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Norethisterone | 27,794 | +19.1% |
| Phenazone/lidocaine | 14,454 | +18.0% |
| Potassium chloride | 12,343 | +14.8% |
| Vibegron | 27,230 | +10.8% |
| Methylprednisolone acetate | 70,715 | +10.4% |
| Other individually formulated bought in preparations | 29,154 | +9.3% |
| Ulipristal acetate (Emergency Contraceptive) | 45,302 | +8.6% |
| Levonorgestrel | 32,361 | +8.3% |
Biggest fallers
Largest month-on-month fall in items.
| Medicine | Items | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Influenza | 63,341 | −23.2% |
| Permethrin | 19,961 | −16.6% |
| Tracheostomy & Laryngectomy Appliances | 15,813 | −14.6% |
| Doxycycline hyclate | 288,869 | −11.9% |
| Fluorouracil (Antimetabolites) | 16,680 | −11.8% |
| Insulin detemir | 20,233 | −10.6% |
| Latanoprost and timolol | 40,817 | −9.2% |
| Adapalene and benzoyl peroxide | 30,850 | −8.8% |
Download this data
Every medicine dispensed in May 2026 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.