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Written question asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench) on Wednesday, 4 February 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 18 February 2026. It was answered by Baroness Merron (Labour) on Monday, 23 February 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Isotretinoin and Spironolactone: Prescriptions

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government how many NHS prescriptions for (1) isotretinoin, and (2) spironolactone, have been issued in each year since 2014.

Answer

The Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) provides the total number of prescription items of each medicine dispensed in the community in England. The table shows the total number of items in each calendar year from 2014 to 2024, as well as the data for January to November 2025 that has been dispensed in England regardless of where prescribed:

Period

British National Formulary chemical substance

Isotretinoin (1306010M0/1306020J0)

Spironolactone (0202030S0)

2014

78,837

2,422,758

2015

84,173

2,519,925

2016

87,505

2,612,742

2017

82,026

2,654,486

2018

69,040

2,702,441

2019

76,223

2,783,970

2020

59,541

2,867,166

2021

76,675

2,937,450

2022

70,196

3,152,012

2023

70,447

3,422,584

2024

64,502

3,763,620

January to November 2025

58,025

3,707,325


This is based on the information within the PCA for the British National Formulary chemical substance of isotretinoin and spironolactone.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL14257
Session
2024-26
Subjects
NHS Prescriptions Isotretinoin Spironolactone
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk