Table 1.
Total prescriptions, cost and cost per prescription in preceding two years for ‘low-priority’ treatments, along with change between 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 in English primary care.
| July 2015 to June 2016 |
July 2016 to June 2017 |
Change 2015/2016 to 2016/2017 |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Items | Cost | Cost per item | Items | Cost | Cost per item | Change in items | Change in cost | Change in cost per item | |
| Total | 6,813,926 | £148,941,731 | £21.86 | 5,840,951 | £153,483,224 | £26.28 | -972,975 | £4,541,493 | £4.42 |
| Liothyronine | 76,305 | £25,881,475 | £339.18 | 71,741 | £29,555,306 | £411.97 | −4564 | £3,673,832 | £72.79 |
| Trimipramine | 69,935 | £12,044,068 | £172.22 | 59,420 | £20,214,868 | £340.20 | −10,515 | £8,170,800 | £167.99 |
| Gluten-free products | 1,620,000 | £23,283,054 | £14.37 | 1,295,581 | £18,668,896 | £14.41 | −324,419 | −£4,614,159 | £0.04 |
| Lidocaine plasters | 241,457 | £16,944,866 | £70.18 | 258,696 | £17,970,517 | £69.47 | 17,239 | £1,025,651 | −£0.71 |
| Rubefacients | 1,654,125 | £11,716,651 | £7.08 | 1,481,642 | £11,271,027 | £7.61 | −172,483 | −£445,624 | £0.52 |
| Tadalafil once daily | 172,888 | £10,062,878 | £58.20 | 181,085 | £10,635,133 | £58.73 | 8197 | £572,255 | £0.53 |
| Fentanyl immediate release | 34,075 | £9,916,801 | £291.03 | 34,852 | £10,181,529 | £292.14 | 777 | £264,728 | £1.11 |
| Co-proxamol | 66,103 | £5,825,171 | £88.12 | 47,778 | £7,601,035 | £159.09 | −18,325 | £1,775,863 | £70.97 |
| Doxazosin modified release | 788,396 | £8,183,086 | £10.38 | 621,037 | £6,599,282 | £10.63 | −167,359 | −£1,583,804 | £0.25 |
| Omega-3 fatty acid compounds | 227,378 | £6,276,064 | £27.60 | 191,250 | £5,412,322 | £28.30 | −36,128 | −£863,742 | £0.70 |
| Oxycodone and naloxone combination | 74,489 | £4,823,104 | £64.75 | 68,337 | £4,461,059 | £65.28 | −6152 | −£362,045 | £0.53 |
| Travel vaccines | 322,368 | £5,218,067 | £16.19 | 236,840 | £3,613,876 | £15.26 | −85,528 | −£1,604,191 | −£0.93 |
| Dosulepin | 984,364 | £2,954,573 | £3.00 | 871,162 | £2,222,722 | £2.55 | −113,202 | −£731,851 | −£0.45 |
| Paracetamol and tramadol combination | 132,586 | £1,987,369 | £14.99 | 110,247 | £1,675,191 | £15.19 | −22,339 | −£312,178 | £0.21 |
| Lutein and antioxidants | 172,549 | £1,653,524 | £9.58 | 157,650 | £1,540,941 | £9.77 | −14,899 | −£112,583 | £0.19 |
| Perindopril arginine | 132,901 | £1,537,858 | £11.57 | 119,421 | £1,395,133 | £11.68 | −13,480 | −£142,725 | £0.11 |
| Glucosamine and chondroitin | 36,291 | £536,626 | £14.79 | 28,237 | £386,468 | £13.69 | −8054 | −£150,158 | −£1.10 |
| Homeopathy | 7716 | £96,497 | £12.51 | 5975 | £77,921 | £13.04 | −1741 | −£18,576 | £0.54 |