Skip to content
Independent analysis of NHS open data
PharmaInsight

The most-prescribed medicines in England

Top 100 by items · May 2025 – April 2026 · NHS Prescription Cost Analysis
Data updated April 2026

The 100 most-dispensed medicines in England over the 12 months to April 2026, ranked by prescription items. Atorvastatin led with 78,422,885 items; the top 100 together account for 988,314,235 items.

Top 100 medicines

Download CSV
The 100 most-prescribed medicines in England, May 2025 – April 2026
# Medicine Items (12 months) Net ingredient cost
1 Atorvastatin 78,422,885 £73,398,418
2 Amlodipine 41,320,822 £35,582,229
3 Lansoprazole 37,974,730 £43,434,140
4 Ramipril 36,439,767 £41,429,172
5 Omeprazole 35,512,433 £98,255,236
6 Levothyroxine sodium 35,043,725 £43,200,835
7 Bisoprolol fumarate 31,372,888 £28,579,370
8 Colecalciferol 29,332,524 £121,789,823
9 Metformin hydrochloride 27,464,818 £71,315,451
10 Sertraline hydrochloride 25,892,055 £47,296,029
11 Aspirin 20,282,334 £30,043,883
12 Amitriptyline hydrochloride 16,601,897 £18,861,471
13 Salbutamol 16,248,264 £50,465,587
14 Paracetamol 15,777,004 £76,666,609
15 Co-codamol (Codeine phosphate/paracetamol) 14,886,389 £71,727,081
16 Mirtazapine 13,847,196 £14,080,630
17 Losartan potassium 13,739,680 £13,807,059
18 Influenza 13,461,420 £228,877,438
19 Citalopram hydrobromide 12,848,507 £11,644,284
20 Clopidogrel 12,262,809 £12,266,112
21 Dapagliflozin 11,869,860 £237,276,026
22 Furosemide 11,318,863 £9,227,031
23 Apixaban 11,140,547 £22,609,949
24 Emollients 10,932,647 £66,392,399
25 Other Appliances 10,775,993 £61,967,784
26 Simvastatin 10,161,394 £10,446,980
27 Tamsulosin hydrochloride 10,122,039 £13,081,046
28 Pregabalin 10,105,697 £21,149,825
29 Beclometasone dipropionate 9,831,650 £226,389,735
30 Eye Products 9,541,984 £74,377,562
31 Folic acid 9,425,046 £8,641,508
32 Candesartan cilexetil 8,998,704 £16,639,860
33 Propranolol hydrochloride 8,379,623 £26,891,231
34 Amoxicillin 8,271,023 £11,143,512
35 Doxazosin mesilate 7,859,823 £25,601,431
36 Macrogol 3350 7,825,815 £78,009,164
37 Fluoxetine hydrochloride 7,622,761 £15,759,486
38 Naproxen 7,541,200 £22,256,297
39 Allopurinol 7,523,304 £7,706,891
40 Rosuvastatin calcium 7,516,469 £14,554,244
41 Lisinopril 7,487,956 £8,775,746
42 Gabapentin 7,356,812 £21,676,030
43 Fexofenadine hydrochloride 7,102,854 £26,997,778
44 Estradiol 6,512,173 £108,700,298
45 Ezetimibe 6,506,368 £10,671,175
46 Venlafaxine 6,462,229 £56,345,044
47 Indapamide 6,202,666 £26,517,637
48 Prednisolone 6,103,909 £15,778,907
49 Gliclazide 5,840,171 £12,237,137
50 Codeine phosphate 5,687,503 £15,307,873
51 Ferrous fumarate 5,500,467 £11,140,394
52 Duloxetine hydrochloride 5,205,999 £16,803,277
53 Glucose blood testing reagents 5,157,172 £69,758,870
54 Alendronic acid 5,043,794 £8,544,144
55 Tramadol hydrochloride 5,023,012 £17,520,197
56 Morphine sulfate 5,012,201 £29,666,667
57 Montelukast 4,910,808 £5,461,037
58 Budesonide 4,791,754 £163,454,603
59 Lercanidipine hydrochloride 4,761,081 £13,142,606
60 Senna 4,748,410 £5,733,981
61 Bendroflumethiazide 4,735,952 £3,365,096
62 Rivaroxaban 4,715,727 £9,965,301
63 Quetiapine 4,702,226 £52,179,546
64 Empagliflozin 4,688,045 £185,428,514
65 Famotidine 4,617,954 £36,416,175
66 Isosorbide mononitrate 4,565,369 £21,960,914
67 Other emollient preparations 4,551,280 £36,507,473
68 Finasteride 4,524,017 £4,755,672
69 Detection Sensor Interstitial Fluid/Gluc 4,515,153 £369,003,686
70 Lamotrigine 4,477,211 £34,058,757
71 Nitrofurantoin 4,433,977 £30,637,078
72 Alginic acid compound preparations 4,405,541 £38,190,117
73 Spironolactone 4,217,489 £15,258,079
74 Felodipine 4,088,415 £21,847,670
75 Carbocisteine 4,086,396 £20,482,319
76 Zopiclone 4,074,903 £2,273,840
77 Edoxaban 4,049,423 £201,506,956
78 Skin Fillers And Protectives 4,047,236 £45,582,264
79 Ferrous sulfate 4,031,201 £6,664,717
80 Flucloxacillin sodium 3,996,110 £9,830,188
81 Doxycycline hyclate 3,965,000 £4,772,210
82 Thiamine hydrochloride 3,941,053 £5,238,187
83 Ibuprofen 3,906,940 £16,808,103
84 Diazepam 3,796,839 £5,989,799
85 BeclometDiprop/Formoterol/Glycopyrronium (Corticosteroids) 3,747,404 £185,521,835
86 Atenolol 3,686,668 £2,730,053
87 Cetirizine hydrochloride 3,557,454 £10,240,317
88 Solifenacin 3,544,047 £5,284,803
89 Latanoprost 3,485,754 £23,575,570
90 Wound Management & Other Dressings 3,481,316 £135,308,112
91 Perindopril erbumine 3,414,592 £7,353,289
92 Sildenafil (Erectile Dysfunction) 3,391,638 £4,508,572
93 Progesterone 3,363,505 £42,820,847
94 Hydrocortisone 3,360,956 £22,722,608
95 Levetiracetam 3,359,957 £31,830,020
96 Hydroxocobalamin 3,332,987 £9,473,038
97 Tirzepatide 3,192,628 £627,107,325
98 Mirabegron 3,146,003 £85,460,441
99 BeclometDiprop/Formoterol 3,108,812 £95,992,586
100 Sitagliptin 3,093,129 £13,687,622