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<p>Information is not held centrally on the annual cost or amount of dispensed but
unused prescription drugs in the National Health Service.</p><p> </p><p>The Department
commissioned the York Health Economics Consortium and the School of Pharmacy at the
University of London to carry out research to determine the scale, causes and costs
of waste medicines in England. The report, <em>Evaluation of the Scale, Causes and
Costs of Waste Medicines</em>, was published on 23 November 2010. This found that
the gross cost of unused prescription medicines in primary and community care in the
NHS in England in 2009 was £300 million a year and that up to £150 million of this
was avoidable. The report is available at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/111804.pdf?repositoryId=90"
target="_blank">https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/111804.pdf?repositoryId=90</a></p><p>
</p><p>NHS England is working with the Department and the NHS Business Services Authority
to consider how value can best be obtained from the use of medicines, both in terms
of patient outcomes and financial implications. This work, along with the medicines
optimisation programme, will help ensure best value for both taxpayers and patients.</p>
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