Isotretinoin and Spironolactone: Prescriptions
(asked on 4th February 2026) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many NHS prescriptions for (1) isotretinoin, and (2) spironolactone, have been issued in each year since 2014.
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.