The most-prescribed medicines in England
Top 100 by items · June 2025 – May 2026 · NHS Prescription Cost Analysis
The 100 most-dispensed medicines in England over the 12 months to May 2026, ranked by prescription items. Atorvastatin led with 78,433,395 items; the top 100 together account for 986,479,907 items.
Top 100 medicines
Download CSV| # | Medicine | Items (12 months) | Net ingredient cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atorvastatin | 78,433,395 | £72,780,135 |
| 2 | Amlodipine | 41,247,352 | £35,351,472 |
| 3 | Lansoprazole | 37,897,289 | £43,048,510 |
| 4 | Ramipril | 36,370,636 | £43,961,645 |
| 5 | Omeprazole | 35,293,213 | £97,743,500 |
| 6 | Levothyroxine sodium | 34,934,292 | £42,699,681 |
| 7 | Bisoprolol fumarate | 31,336,942 | £33,299,367 |
| 8 | Colecalciferol | 29,296,182 | £122,102,022 |
| 9 | Metformin hydrochloride | 27,404,281 | £68,952,965 |
| 10 | Sertraline hydrochloride | 25,901,702 | £47,569,983 |
| 11 | Aspirin | 20,211,451 | £33,355,928 |
| 12 | Amitriptyline hydrochloride | 16,564,286 | £18,648,323 |
| 13 | Salbutamol | 15,922,911 | £49,796,164 |
| 14 | Paracetamol | 15,709,047 | £75,281,929 |
| 15 | Co-codamol (Codeine phosphate/paracetamol) | 14,786,718 | £73,098,148 |
| 16 | Mirtazapine | 13,842,931 | £14,018,831 |
| 17 | Losartan potassium | 13,763,714 | £13,588,007 |
| 18 | Influenza | 13,453,106 | £228,927,905 |
| 19 | Citalopram hydrobromide | 12,773,929 | £11,531,039 |
| 20 | Clopidogrel | 12,243,384 | £12,060,083 |
| 21 | Dapagliflozin | 12,142,822 | £210,162,844 |
| 22 | Furosemide | 11,272,276 | £9,262,472 |
| 23 | Apixaban | 11,229,504 | £24,339,117 |
| 24 | Emollients | 10,915,713 | £66,293,570 |
| 25 | Other Appliances | 10,713,525 | £61,586,846 |
| 26 | Tamsulosin hydrochloride | 10,106,807 | £12,746,878 |
| 27 | Pregabalin | 10,106,396 | £20,918,962 |
| 28 | Simvastatin | 10,001,384 | £10,195,825 |
| 29 | Eye Products | 9,546,039 | £74,481,598 |
| 30 | Folic acid | 9,233,738 | £8,365,024 |
| 31 | Candesartan cilexetil | 9,006,983 | £16,992,849 |
| 32 | Beclometasone dipropionate | 8,987,509 | £201,815,777 |
| 33 | Propranolol hydrochloride | 8,375,473 | £26,870,880 |
| 34 | Amoxicillin | 8,256,924 | £11,007,839 |
| 35 | Doxazosin mesilate | 7,846,227 | £26,468,493 |
| 36 | Macrogol 3350 | 7,829,984 | £78,609,315 |
| 37 | Fluoxetine hydrochloride | 7,600,833 | £15,663,915 |
| 38 | Rosuvastatin calcium | 7,597,329 | £15,142,092 |
| 39 | Allopurinol | 7,516,006 | £7,635,023 |
| 40 | Naproxen | 7,498,192 | £21,826,741 |
| 41 | Lisinopril | 7,442,721 | £8,851,100 |
| 42 | Gabapentin | 7,319,829 | £20,997,548 |
| 43 | Fexofenadine hydrochloride | 7,108,597 | £28,246,983 |
| 44 | Ezetimibe | 6,621,684 | £9,937,565 |
| 45 | Estradiol | 6,566,587 | £110,139,503 |
| 46 | Venlafaxine | 6,461,429 | £57,664,248 |
| 47 | Indapamide | 6,186,087 | £28,515,113 |
| 48 | Prednisolone | 6,074,582 | £15,706,541 |
| 49 | Gliclazide | 5,799,719 | £11,876,161 |
| 50 | Codeine phosphate | 5,689,284 | £15,109,642 |
| 51 | Ferrous fumarate | 5,504,780 | £10,874,267 |
| 52 | Duloxetine hydrochloride | 5,235,734 | £16,878,226 |
| 53 | Glucose blood testing reagents | 5,101,256 | £68,643,550 |
| 54 | Alendronic acid | 5,013,652 | £8,457,099 |
| 55 | Morphine sulfate | 4,990,364 | £29,413,018 |
| 56 | Tramadol hydrochloride | 4,985,868 | £17,402,672 |
| 57 | Montelukast | 4,890,731 | £5,271,174 |
| 58 | Budesonide | 4,857,771 | £165,461,392 |
| 59 | Lercanidipine hydrochloride | 4,788,809 | £12,802,878 |
| 60 | Senna | 4,750,042 | £5,569,033 |
| 61 | Rivaroxaban | 4,729,105 | £9,561,686 |
| 62 | Famotidine | 4,691,386 | £30,087,308 |
| 63 | Quetiapine | 4,691,278 | £51,689,786 |
| 64 | Bendroflumethiazide | 4,671,238 | £3,352,161 |
| 65 | Empagliflozin | 4,615,976 | £182,061,818 |
| 66 | Isosorbide mononitrate | 4,548,064 | £21,967,431 |
| 67 | Detection Sensor Interstitial Fluid/Gluc | 4,545,751 | £372,368,036 |
| 68 | Other emollient preparations | 4,515,723 | £36,297,042 |
| 69 | Finasteride | 4,508,375 | £4,680,893 |
| 70 | Lamotrigine | 4,485,415 | £34,220,768 |
| 71 | Nitrofurantoin | 4,416,505 | £30,324,249 |
| 72 | Alginic acid compound preparations | 4,394,364 | £38,382,527 |
| 73 | Spironolactone | 4,235,084 | £15,196,224 |
| 74 | Carbocisteine | 4,083,512 | £20,547,661 |
| 75 | Felodipine | 4,072,122 | £21,729,266 |
| 76 | Skin Fillers And Protectives | 4,042,574 | £45,523,030 |
| 77 | Zopiclone | 4,042,460 | £2,186,879 |
| 78 | Ferrous sulfate | 4,037,407 | £6,590,548 |
| 79 | Flucloxacillin sodium | 3,991,451 | £9,757,154 |
| 80 | Edoxaban | 3,961,552 | £196,774,743 |
| 81 | Doxycycline hyclate | 3,959,142 | £4,720,122 |
| 82 | Thiamine hydrochloride | 3,944,640 | £5,281,440 |
| 83 | Ibuprofen | 3,894,488 | £16,764,220 |
| 84 | BeclometDiprop/Formoterol | 3,872,441 | £119,402,948 |
| 85 | Diazepam | 3,766,697 | £6,128,076 |
| 86 | BeclometDiprop/Formoterol/Glycopyrronium (Corticosteroids) | 3,763,460 | £186,385,847 |
| 87 | Atenolol | 3,644,137 | £2,666,111 |
| 88 | Solifenacin | 3,545,226 | £5,221,484 |
| 89 | Cetirizine hydrochloride | 3,523,582 | £9,584,371 |
| 90 | Latanoprost | 3,486,785 | £23,679,738 |
| 91 | Wound Management & Other Dressings | 3,452,401 | £134,627,331 |
| 92 | Progesterone | 3,400,853 | £43,368,528 |
| 93 | Perindopril erbumine | 3,388,821 | £7,550,478 |
| 94 | Sildenafil (Erectile Dysfunction) | 3,374,294 | £4,471,956 |
| 95 | Levetiracetam | 3,356,188 | £31,307,653 |
| 96 | Hydrocortisone | 3,345,890 | £22,243,320 |
| 97 | Hydroxocobalamin | 3,338,504 | £9,471,823 |
| 98 | Tirzepatide | 3,302,131 | £678,555,403 |
| 99 | Mirabegron | 3,157,315 | £85,718,722 |
| 100 | Sitagliptin | 3,123,619 | £13,234,063 |