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The number of items prescribed for dependency-forming medicines in England fell between 2016-17 and 2024-25, according to the latest figures from the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). 

The data revealed 66.7 million items were prescribed for dependency-forming medicines this year, a four per cent drop from 2016-17.

The number of patients prescribed the medicines also fell by 14 per cent during that period, going from 8.1 million in 2016-17 to seven million in 2024-25. The cost of dependency-forming medicines prescribed was £366 million, a 53 per cent decrease from 2015-16.

Opioids the most prescribed medicines at 39 million items

Opioids were the most prescribed medicines at 39 million items, with 96 patients per 1,000 population prescribed one, while opioids accounted for the biggest cost at £270 million. Since 2015-16, however, the cost of opioid drugs fell by 36 per cent.

"There was a sharp decline between 2015-16 and 2018-19, followed by a continued gentler downward trend," the NHSBSA said.

Three of the four dependency-forming medicine categories saw drops in the number of prescribed items, with gabapentinoids the only item to increase, going from 11 million in 2015-16 to 17 million in 2024-25. However, the total cost of gabapentoid prescribing has fallen by 79 per cent since 2015-16.

The NHSBSA said that was because of "a steep decline between 2016-17 and 2018-19 when pregabalin came off patent, which meant cheaper generic equivalents could be prescribed from August 2017".

Sixty-one per cent of patients prescribed a dependency-forming item were female

Sixty-one per cent of patients prescribed a dependency-forming item were female, which the NHSBSA said “has remained consistent from 2015-16”, although it said there are 600,000 fewer female patients now compared to 2015-16.

Females aged 60 to 64 were most commonly prescribed dependency-forming medicines and 57 per cent more patients in deprived areas of England were prescribed items than people in the least deprived parts of the country.