The annual number of prescription items dispensed in England has reached 1 billion for the first time, although the cost of medicines to the NHS in 2012 was less than the previous year, NHS figures have shown.

The number of prescription items dispensed across the country rose 4.6 per cent to 1 billion last year, according to data published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) last week (April 4). The net ingredient cost to the NHS was £8.5 billion, a 3.4 per cent fall on the previous year.

The net ingredient cost of prescription items to the NHS was £8.5 billion in 2012, a 3.4 per cent fall from the previous year	More on medicines costs Nice set for expanded role in value-based pricing Category M Barometer Prescriptions: to charge or not to charge?
	The average cost per dispensed item was £8.52. Treatment for asthma caused the biggest single cost, with the NHS spending £393 million on fluticasone propionate inhalers.

The 10 most frequently dispensed drugs remained the same as in 2011. Simvastatin was still the most-dispensed drug, rising 3.4 per cent from 2011 to 42.6 million items in 2012. The other most frequently dispensed drugs were:

●    Aspirin (31.4 million items)

●    Levothyroxine sodium (26.7 million items)

●    Omeprazole (25.8 million items)

●    Ramipril (23.8 million items)

●    Paracetamol (21.9 million items)

●    Amlodipine (21.6 million items)

●    Salbutamol (20.4 million items)

●    Lansoprazole (19 million items)

●    Bendroflumethiazide (17.3 million items)

The figures follow a similar trend to last year, when the HSCIC reported that the number of prescription items dispensed had risen by just under 4 per cent and the cost of medicines had fallen 0.3 per cent.