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TABLE B4

Health Care

Pharmaceutical Services: Prescription items dispensed in the community
England

	Unit	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
All prescriptions
Number of prescription items	Millions	500.2	513.2	529.8	551.8	587.0	617.0
NIC of prescription items	£ millions	4,367.5	4,701.5	5,291.2	5,584.6	6,116.6	6,846.7
Average NIC of prescription items	£s	8.73	9.16	9.99	10.12	10.42	11.10
Average prescription items per head	Number	10.3	10.5	10.8	11.3	11.9	12.5
Average NIC per head	£s	90.01	96.62	108.35	113.98	124.37	138.76
Prescription items dispensed generically	Per cent	47	48	48	52	52	53
Prescription items prescribed generically	Per cent	60	63	66	71	74	76
NIC of items dispensed generically	Per cent	15	15	18	22	18	20
NIC of items prescribed generically	Per cent	47	50	57	63	65	68
Exempt prescriptions
Number of prescription items	Millions	388.2	399.1	410.3	426.0	501.6	528.6
NIC of prescription items	£ millions	3,191.1	3,445.1	3,888.8	4,114.7	4,986.0	5,620.4
Average NIC per prescription item	£s	8.22	8.63	9.48	9.66	9.94	10.63
Exempt prescription items of total	Per cent	85.4	85.4	85.1	85.1	85.4	85.7

Source: Statistics of prescriptions dispensed in the community - England 1992 to 2002	Contact:Candida Ballantyne 020 7972 5515 (email: candida.ballantyne@doh.gsi.gov.uk)
See General Notes Section

See Chart

• 617 million prescription items were dispensed in 2002, an increase of 23% over 1997.  
• The net ingredient cost of all prescription items in 2002 was £6,847 million, an increase of 57% or 38% in real terms over 1997.  
• The average net ingredient cost per prescription item was £11.10, an increase of 27% or 12% in real terms over 1997.  
• 85.7 per cent of all prescription items dispensed were free to patients in 2002.  

TABLE B4

Health Care

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