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Independent analysis of NHS open data
PharmaInsight

Desogestrel

Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Urinary-Tract Disorders Contraceptives BNF 0703021Q0
Data updated May 2026 Download CSV

Desogestrel was ranked 104th of 1,796 medicines by items in May 2026, with 238,271 items, down 9.9% on a year earlier.

238,271items -9.9%

Dispensed in May 2026

2,448,658items

Rolling 12 months

£1,091,876

Net ingredient cost · May 2026

Figure 1. Desogestrel: national items dispensed by month

0 184k 368k Jan 2021 Nov 2021 Sep 2022 Jul 2023 May 2024 Mar 2025 Jul 2026 368,450 Jan 2021: 276k Feb 2021: 246k Mar 2021: 263k Apr 2021: 253k May 2021: 246k Jun 2021: 260k Jul 2021: 264k Aug 2021: 248k Sep 2021: 263k Oct 2021: 245k Nov 2021: 257k Dec 2021: 258k Jan 2022: 263k Feb 2022: 236k Mar 2022: 262k Apr 2022: 242k May 2022: 262k Jun 2022: 252k Jul 2022: 254k Aug 2022: 256k Sep 2022: 254k Oct 2022: 252k Nov 2022: 252k Dec 2022: 236k Jan 2023: 268k Feb 2023: 235k Mar 2023: 262k Apr 2023: 232k May 2023: 251k Jun 2023: 258k Jul 2023: 253k Aug 2023: 246k Sep 2023: 247k Oct 2023: 249k Nov 2023: 248k Dec 2023: 236k Jan 2024: 261k Feb 2024: 236k Mar 2024: 235k Apr 2024: 245k May 2024: 249k Jun 2024: 235k Jul 2024: 253k Aug 2024: 235k Sep 2024: 233k Oct 2024: 243k Nov 2024: 230k Dec 2024: 225k Jan 2025: 246k Feb 2025: 211k Mar 2025: 222k Apr 2025: 247k May 2025: 265k Jun 2025: 255k Jul 2025: 270k Aug 2025: 239k Sep 2025: 259k Oct 2025: 259k Nov 2025: 239k Dec 2025: 252k Jan 2026: 258k Feb 2026: 225k Mar 2026: 241k Apr 2026: 239k May 2026: 238k Jun 2026: 252k Jul 2026: 368k

Source: NHSBSA Prescription Cost Analysis, to May 2026

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At a glance

  • Therapeutic class Contraceptives
  • Presentations 7 shown
  • Average cost / item £4.58
  • Year on year Down 9.9% on a year earlier
What this is
Net ingredient cost is the list price before discounts and dispensing fees, not what the NHS finally pays.

Top presentations, May 2026

The individual products dispensed under Desogestrel this month.

Presentations of Desogestrel, May 2026
Presentation BNF code Items Net ingredient cost
Desogestrel 75microgram tablets 0703021Q0AAAAAA 203,456 £756,008
Cerelle 75microgram tablets 0703021Q0BDAAAA 17,478 £121,588
Cerazette 75microgram tablets 0703021Q0BBAAAA 10,427 £160,661
Zelleta 75microgram tablets 0703021Q0BHAAAA 4,888 £30,191
Desomono 75microgram tablets 0703021Q0BGAAAA 819 £9,022
Desorex 75microgram tablets 0703021Q0BFAAAA 733 £2,866
Lovima 75microgram tablets 0703021Q0BKAAAA 470 £11,540

Source: NHSBSA Prescription Cost Analysis · to May 2026 OGL v3.0

Where Desogestrel is dispensed

The regions and dispensing practices with the highest Desogestrel volumes.

Regional volumes from NHSBSA Prescription Cost Analysis; practice volumes from NHS dispensing data.

Compare Desogestrel with

Other medicines in the same BNF section, by prescribing volume.

Download this data

The monthly series for Desogestrel is in this page's CSV. For the ranked national series across every medicine, with the method and caveats documented, see the most-prescribed medicines dataset in our open data catalogue.