Ibuprofen
Ibuprofen was ranked 233rd of 1,796 medicines by items in May 2026, with 60,955 items, down 14.0% on a year earlier.
Dispensed in May 2026
Rolling 12 months
Net ingredient cost · May 2026
Figure 1. Ibuprofen: national items dispensed by month
Source: NHSBSA Prescription Cost Analysis, to May 2026
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At a glance
- Therapeutic class Drugs used in rheumatic diseases and gout
- Presentations 15 shown
- Average cost / item £3.25
- Year on year Down 14.0% on a year earlier
Top presentations, May 2026
The individual products dispensed under Ibuprofen this month.
| Presentation | BNF code | Items | Net ingredient cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ibuprofen 400mg tablets | 1001010J0AAAEAE | 37,986 | £78,783 |
| Ibuprofen 200mg tablets | 1001010J0AAADAD | 9,470 | £20,375 |
| Ibuprofen 100mg/5ml oral suspension sugar free | 1001010J0AABHBH | 5,298 | £22,241 |
| Ibuprofen 600mg tablets | 1001010J0AAAFAF | 3,502 | £23,200 |
| Brufen Retard 800mg tablets | 1001010J0BCAFAP | 1,718 | £13,440 |
| Ibuprofen 200mg/5ml oral suspension sugar free | 1001010J0AABRBR | 1,037 | £9,678 |
| Ibuprofen 400mg capsules | 1001010J0AAAUAU | 506 | £11,505 |
| Ibuprofen 200mg capsules | 1001010J0AAAAAA | 415 | £4,787 |
| Nurofen Meltlets 200mg tablets | 1001010J0B4AHBN | 292 | £3,596 |
| Brufen 600mg effervescent granules sachets | 1001010J0BCAEAN | 181 | £2,375 |
| Nurofen Long Lasting Pain Relief PR 300mg capsules | 1001010J0B4ANAB | 111 | £1,576 |
| Flarin 200mg capsules | 1001010J0DIAAAA | 110 | £2,235 |
| Ibuprofen 200mg / Codeine 12.8mg tablets | 1001010J0AAAYAY | 50 | £882 |
| Nurofen for Children 100mg/5ml oral suspension strawberry | 1001010J0B4AQBH | 37 | £328 |
| Nurofen Express 400mg liquid capsules | 1001010J0B4AVAU | 35 | £903 |
Source: NHSBSA Prescription Cost Analysis · to May 2026 OGL v3.0
Where Ibuprofen is dispensed
The regions and dispensing practices with the highest Ibuprofen volumes.
Top regions
Top dispensing practices
- Modality Partnership (awc) 1,190
- Holderness Health 1,041
- The Roxton Practice 1,000
- The Ridings Medical Group 729
- Beacon Medical Group 658
- Tamar Valley Health 593
Regional volumes from NHSBSA Prescription Cost Analysis; practice volumes from NHS dispensing data.
Compare Ibuprofen with
Other medicines in the same BNF section, by prescribing volume.
Download this data
The monthly series for Ibuprofen 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.