Dutasteride and Finasteride: Prescriptions
(asked on 16th January 2026) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many prescriptions for (1) finasteride, and (2) dutasteride, have been issued in the NHS in each year since 2014.
The following table shows the requested information in each calendar year between 2014 and 2024, as well as between January and November 2025, and that has been dispensed in England regardless of where prescribed:
Period | Finasteride | Dutasteride |
2014 | 2,717,411 | 352,211 |
2015 | 2,954,990 | 325,232 |
2016 | 3,176,498 | 311,415 |
2017 | 3,360,103 | 294,715 |
2018 | 3,564,023 | 301,071 |
2019 | 3,762,144 | 296,300 |
2020 | 3,864,669 | 289,198 |
2021 | 3,900,062 | 275,907 |
2022 | 4,052,091 | 278,755 |
2023 | 4,230,844 | 282,205 |
2024 | 4,463,271 | 284,220 |
January-November 2025 | 4,108,900 | 259,432 |
Source: NHS Business Services Authority, Prescription Costs Analysis (PCA)
Notes:
- This is based on the information within the PCA for the British National Formulary (BNF) chemical substance of Finasteride and Dutasteride.
- The PCA provides total number of prescription items of each medicine dispensed in the community in England.