Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many prescriptions for bupropion were issued in each year since 2014; and what was the annual cost to the National Health Service of those prescriptions for each of those years.

The attached table shows the number of prescriptions issued for buproprion and the net ingredient cost (NIC) from 2014 to 2023, and from January to August for 2024, as this is the latest data available.

Based on the information within the Prescription Cost Analysis published statistics from the NHS Business Services Authority, there are two chemical formulations that include buproprion, those being: bupropion hydrochloride; and the combination of naltrexone and buproprion. It should also be noted that the total NIC shown in the attached table is the basic price of the prescribed medicine before discounts, dispensing costs, or fees. This includes items that have been dispensed in the community in England regardless of where prescribed.