Britain’s prescription drug use statistics revealed

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDJul 27 2011

According to latest NHS figures number of prescriptions dispensed has soared by 70 per cent over the last decade. Every man, woman and child in the country received on average 17.8 prescription items in 2010. The vast majority went to those aged over 60, who received 42.4 items each in 2007.

However, the figure has not been updated in the latest report for 2010, because the sample of the population on which it is based is no longer regarded as providing a reliable estimate, according to a spokesperson for the NHS Information Centre.

Authorities explain that this growth in prescribing is not only due to an ageing population but by increased efforts to prevent heart disease and stroke: seven million people are taking statins daily to reduce their cholesterol levels. Spending on drugs has risen from £113 a head in 2000 to £169 in 2010, although the cost per item has fallen slightly as many are now off-patent. Overall, the prescription drugs bill has risen 58 per cent between 2000 and 2010, from £5.59 billion to £8.83 billion - close to 10 per cent of the entire NHS budget. Drugs issued in hospitals, which account for at least another 10 per cent of the total, are excluded from the data.

However Britain is still behind France and the US in terms of pill popping. Mike Holden, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association, said it was vital to get value for money from the £9bn annual investment in medicines. “Up to half of all medicines for long-term conditions are not taken as intended by the prescriber,” he said.

The Patients' Association believes doctors are doling out drugs too easily. Katherine Murphy, Chief Executive of the Patients' Association said, “If patients are getting access to more of the medicines they need, in particular more specifically tailored medicines, we would welcome this move. However, we are concerned that with consultation times being so short, rather than being able to tackle the problems patients have, doctors may be simply prescribing medicines.”

The new figures were released a day after the Family Doctor Association warned that four in five GPs were prescribing drugs to patients that they suspected were addicted to them.

Many are also concerned about medicalising large sections of the population: some seven million now take statins alone. However, Prof David Taylor of the School of Pharmacy at London University defended the widespread use of preventative medicines for chronic diseases. He said, “In my view it's deeply desirable to use these drugs.” Drugs like ACE inhibitors had transformed the treatment of heart failure, he said, while statins were proven to lower the risk of cardiac events.

Paul Burstow, the Care Services Minister, said, “The big rise in prescribing revealed today largely reflects the impact of a growing and ageing population, as well as an increase in the prescribing of preventative medicines, such as low cost statins, for cardiovascular diseases.”

A spokesman for the British Medical Association said, “A key reason for the increase in the number of prescriptions given to patients is that the number of medicines available has increased substantially in the past decade. This relates particularly to important preventative treatments, such as those that lower cholesterol.”

Simon O’Neill of Diabetes UK said, “The long-term costs of poor diabetes management, namely caring for someone who’s had a heart attack or stroke, lost their sight or lower limb, far outweigh those of the drugs which help prevent such devastating complications.”