Table 1 Top 25 BNF sections by number of Items
BNF_SECTION CODE and NAME | BNF_CHAPTER CODE and NAME | Number of primary care prescriptions items | % Total | Growth 2017–22 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | 2022 | vs 2017 | |||||
4.03** | Antidepressant drugs | 4 | Central Nervous System | 67,530,457 | 85,404,864 | 8% | 26% |
2.12* | Lipid-regulating drugs | 2 | Cardiovascular System | 72,612,421 | 82,961,403 | 7% | 14% |
2.05* | Hypertension and heart failure | 2 | Cardiovascular System | 71,531,001 | 74,707,763 | 7% | 4% |
1.03 | Antisecretory drugs and mucosal protectants | 1 | Gastro-Intestinal System | 64,699,342 | 74,241,142 | 7% | 15% |
6.01 | Drugs used in diabetes | 6 | Endocrine System | 53,009,892 | 62,740,737 | 6% | 18% |
4.07 | Analgesics | 4 | Central Nervous System | 65,812,796 | 60,153,130 | 5% | − 9% |
2.06 | Nitrates, calcium-channel blockers and other antianginal drugs | 2 | Cardiovascular System | 49,365,164 | 54,724,021 | 5% | 11% |
2.04* | Beta-adrenoceptor blocking drugs | 2 | Cardiovascular System | 37,816,699 | 41,569,315 | 4% | 10% |
5.01* | Antibacterial drugs | 5 | Infections | 37,060,004 | 35,786,987 | 3% | − 3% |
6.02 | Thyroid and antithyroid drugs | 6 | Endocrine System | 32,170,037 | 34,210,414 | 3% | 6% |
2.09 | Antiplatelet drugs | 2 | Cardiovascular System | 35,082,373 | 32,203,313 | 3% | − 8% |
9.06 | Vitamins | 9 | Nutrition and Blood | 30,701,877 | 32,501,986 | 3% | 6% |
2.02 | Diuretics | 2 | Cardiovascular System | 33,353,502 | 29,764,341 | 3% | − 11% |
4.08 | Antiepileptic drugs | 4 | Central Nervous System | 26,649,294 | 31,218,324 | 3% | 17% |
3.01* | Bronchodilators | 3 | Respiratory System | 31,228,824 | 30,381,115 | 3% | − 3% |
3.02 | Corticosteroids (respiratory) | 3 | Respiratory System | 20,838,731 | 22,183,293 | 2% | 6% |
10.01 | Drugs in rheumatic diseases and gout | 10 | Musculoskeletal and Joint Diseases | 22,805,192 | 22,047,747 | 2% | − 3% |
9.01 | Anaemias and some other blood disorders | 9 | Nutrition and Blood | 18,787,441 | 22,064,737 | 2% | 17% |
7.04 | Drugs for genito-urinary disorders | 7 | Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Urinary-Tract Disorders | 19,131,927 | 21,753,878 | 2% | 14% |
2.08 | Anticoagulants and protamine | 2 | Cardiovascular System | 16,999,802 | 20,378,949 | 2% | 20% |
1.06 | Laxatives | 1 | Gastro-Intestinal System | 18,512,759 | 18,802,212 | 2% | 2% |
3.04 | Antihistamines and allergic emergencies | 3 | Respiratory System | 14,359,226 | 14,608,098 | 1% | 2% |
4.01** | Hypnotics and anxiolytics | 4 | Central Nervous System | 15,391,217 | 13,815,713 | 1% | − 10% |
4.02** | Drugs used in psychoses and related disorders | 4 | Central Nervous System | 11,803,257 | 13,315,874 | 1% | 13% |
14.04 | Vaccines and antisera | 14 | Immunological and Vaccines | 13,315,581 | 11,855,596 | 1% | − 11% |
of total | |||||||
25 | Top Subtotal | 813,038,359 | 857,990,088 | 84.8% | 6% | ||
105 | Total Medication | 1,060,112,747 | 1,112,920,677 | 5% | |||
3 | Total psychotropic** | 94,724,931 | 112,536,451 | 10.1% | 19% | ||
5 | Total Comparators* | 250,248,949 | 265,406,583 | 23.8% | 6.1% | ||