New data reveals a 57% drop in costs when compared to Q1 (April to June) 2015/16.
Recently published NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) data shows a significant reduction in the cost of dependency-forming medicines prescribed in the community, falling by 57% from Q1 (April to June) 2015/16 to Q1 in 2025/26.
The latest ‘Dependency-Forming Medicines – England 2015/16 to 2025/26’ quarterly report reveals that in Q1 2025/26, 16.5 million items for dependency-forming medicines were prescribed to an estimated 4.37 million identified patients, at a total cost of £83.7 million.
The substantial decrease in overall costs has been driven primarily by an 84% decline in the total cost of gabapentinoid prescribing since Q1 2015/16.
This is largely attributed to pregabalin coming off patent in August 2017 which allowed for cheaper generic alternatives to be prescribed. Additionally, opioid drug costs decreased by 39% over the same period.
Other key findings show that between April and June 2025:
Opioid drugs accounted for the largest proportion of dependency-forming medicine prescriptions, with 9.67 million items prescribed at a cost of £64.5 million.
Significant demographic and geographical variations in prescribing patterns. Female patients aged 60 to 64 years represented the largest group receiving these medications, with 291,000 identified patients.
Notable health inequality. The most deprived areas had 78% more identified patients receiving dependency-forming medications compared to the least deprived areas.
The statistics cover five categories of medicines: Opioid pain medicines, Gabapentinoids, Benzodiazepines, Z-drugs and antidepressants.
The data encompasses prescriptions prescribed in the community across England, but excludes medicines prescribed and dispensed in secondary care, prisons, or issued by private prescribers. Medications used specifically to treat existing drug dependence or substance misuse disorders have also been excluded from this report.
