Wales still gives out most drugs per person in UK
THE cost of prescriptions in Wales has dropped for the first time in four years – but the country still gives out the highest number of drugs per person in the UK.
Last year the Welsh Government saved £15.7m on the cost of drugs compared to 2015, dropping from £593.7m in 2015 to £578m in 2016.
As a consequence, the cost of prescriptions per person decreased from £191.57 to £186.49.
But the number of items prescribed per head in the country is rising and is still far higher than others countries across the UK.
In 2016 in Wales, 25.9 items were prescribed per person. In Northern Ireland there were 21.9, in England 20.2 and in Scotland 19.1.
In 2015, the number of items per person in Wales was 25.7, in Northern Ireland 21.6, in England 20.0 and in Scotland 19.0.
An “item” is simply the total drugs prescribed when the prescription is handed in, such as a packet of tablets or course of antibiotics.
The total number of items prescribed in Wales rose 1% from 79.5m in 2015 to 80.3m in 2016, the lowest rise in several years.
In response, Mair Davies, director of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: “We welcome the latest figures that demonstrate a reduction in the overall cost of prescriptions, saving the Welsh NHS nearly £16m.
“We recognise that the number of prescribed items in Wales has continued to increase in the past year but are pleased that the rate of growth is slowing down.
“There is a high proportion of people in Wales living with a long-term condition such as hypertension and asthma which will be impacting on these numbers.
“Medicines play a vitally important role in the daily management of those conditions.
“We are proud of the work of pharmacists in Wales who are working closely with GPs and other prescribers to advise on prescribing decisions and to help reduce the number of unnecessary medicines.
“By regularly advising patients on getting the most from their medicines, we know that pharmacists are also playing an important role in reducing medicines waste and contributing to overall efforts across Wales to improve the use of medicines”.
Medicines for the treatment of the cardiovascular system, such as statins, make up the largest group in terms of prescription items, with 23.5m dispensed.
Drugs for the treatment of the central nervous system, including antianxiety medications and tablets for sleep disorders, make up the largest group in terms of cost, at £121.6m.
Omeprazole, used in the treatment of acid reflux, was the most commonly-prescribed chemical, with 2.65m items dispensed in 2016, about 30,000 more than in 2015.
Second was Simvastatin, a statin used to prevent heart attacks and strokes by reducing cholesterol, with 2.4m items.
A Welsh Government spokesman said: “The net ingredient cost of prescription items dispensed in the community in Wales fell by £15.7m in 2016 compared to the year before, a fall of 2.7%.
“Growth since 2015 in the number of prescriptions dispensed was 1%, the lowest rate in a number of years.”