FOI-03940

##Request You asked us: I have previously received data from NHSBSA on prescribing statistics for a different BNF category (drugs for erectile dysfunction, BNF 7.4.5) in a similar format – if it is helpful for identifying the correct internal process, that request is best described by its response, which included an age-band breakdown, a chemical-substance breakdown, and a Sub-ICB Location (SICBL) breakdown. I would be grateful if this request could be handled in a similar format. This request relates to GLP-1 receptor agonist and dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs used for weight management and/or type 2 diabetes – specifically tirzepatide, semaglutide and liraglutide, marketed under brand names including but not limited to Mounjaro, Wegovy, Ozempic, Rybelsus, Saxenda and Victoza. I understand NHSBSA does not capture the clinical reason a drug was prescribed, and that the same chemical substance may be dispensed under different brand names for different indications (for example, semaglutide as Ozempic for diabetes or Wegovy for weight management). Where possible, I would therefore be grateful if the data could be broken down at product/presentation level (i.e. by brand name) rather than only by chemical substance, so that weight-management and diabetes-branded products can be distinguished as far as the data allows. For the 2025 calendar year, could you please provide: 1. The total number of prescription items issued for the drugs listed above, broken down by age group of the patient in the following bands: (i) 0-9, (ii) 10-19, (iii) 20-29, (iv) 30-39, (v) 40-49, (vi) 50-59, (vii) 60-69, (viii) 70-79, (ix) 80-89 and (x) 90 and above. Please also state the age of the youngest patient prescribed one of these drugs in 2025. 2. For the same period, a breakdown of the number of prescription items and the associated cost for each individual chemical substance and, where distinguishable, each brand/product (e.g. Mounjaro, Wegovy, Ozempic, Rybelsus, Saxenda, Victoza). 3. For the same period, a breakdown of the number of prescription items and patients by sex (male/female, and any other categories recorded), at a national level. 4. For each SICBL (Sub-ICB Location, formerly CCG): (i) how many prescription items were issued, (ii) the cost of these prescriptions, (iii) the total number of patients in that SICBL who were prescribed one of these drugs at any point during the year, broken down by sex where possible, and (iv) the total registered male and female patient list size for that SICBL. If it would reduce the burden of the request or speed up a response, I am happy to receive this as separate CSV files per question, as provided previously for other categories of prescribing data. The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on 1 July 2026 We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000. ##Our response I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds the information you have requested and a copy of the information is attached. Please read the below notes to ensure correct understanding of the data. NHS Prescription Services process prescriptions for pharmacy contractors, appliance contractors, dispensing doctors and personal administration with information then used to make payments to pharmacists and appliance contractors in England for prescriptions dispensed in primary care settings (other arrangements are in place for making payments to dispensing doctors and personal administration). This involves processing over 1 billion prescription items and payments totalling over £9 billion each year. The information gathered from this process is then used to provide information on costs and trends in prescribing in England and Wales to over 25,000 registered NHS and Department of Health and Social Care users. ##Data Source The data source was the NHSBSA Information Services Data Warehouse. ##Exclusions The data excludes: * Items not dispensed, disallowed and those returned to the contractor for further clarification. * Prescriptions prescribed and dispensed in prisons, hospitals and private prescriptions. * Items prescribed but not presented for dispensing or not submitted to NHS Prescription Services by the dispenser. * Items supplied as part of a Pharmacy First consultation or service. ##Time Period Answers are based on January 2025 to December 2025 processing data, presented as a calendar year. ##Drugs Limited to the following BNF chemical substances: --Tirzepatide (BNF Code 0601023AZ) --Semaglutide (0601023AW) --Liraglutide (0601023AB) Note that indication is not captured. ##Organisation Data Only items that were prescribed in a GP practice within an ICB in England were included. ##Age Data NHSBSA stores information on the age of the recipient of each prescription as it was read by computer from images of paper prescriptions or as attached to message sent through the electronic prescription system. NHSBSA data warehouse applies a calculated age logic shown that checks for any inconsistent information across the available sources and may result in ages being reported as missing or unknown. This is explained in more detail here in the attached PDF file named "AGE_LOGIC_SUMMARY_FLOW_CHART" Additional checks have been carried out to assess the capture rate and accuracy of the stored patient information from scanned prescriptions. The latest results for 2020 showed that for both paper and electronic prescriptions patient age was captured from 94.88% of prescription forms and the accuracy of scanned age data was 99.95%. Patients may appear in more than one age band so you must not aggregate patient counts or present them in any way other than in these data sets. ##Question 1 - Age of the youngest patient prescribed one of these drugs in 2025 Please be aware that I have decided not to release the age of the youngest patient. This is because the individuals could be identified when combined with other information that may be in the public domain or reasonably available. This information falls under the exemption in section 40 subsections 2 and 3A (a) of the Freedom of Information Act. This is because it would breach the first data protection principle as: a) it is not fair to disclose patient personal details to the world and is likely to cause damage or distress. b) these details are not of sufficient interest to the public to warrant an intrusion into the privacy of the patients. Please click the below web link to see the exemption in full. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/40 ##Gender Data Patient gender has been reported using the latest patient gender information held by the NHSBSA Information Services data warehouse at the time that the data was extracted. This uses information from either the most recent Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) message or from the last time that NHSBSA received data about the patient's gender from NHS Personal Demographics Service. Gender is either: Male, Female, Not Known (where no information is held) or Indeterminate (where information is held which does not confirm either Male or Female, intentionally or otherwise). ##Identified Patient Counts For Q3 patients have been counted only if their NHS number was captured during NHSBSA processing (regardless of their gender). The patient's NHS number may not be captured if, for example, it was not known at the time of writing the prescription, or it was hand-written on a paper prescription and the OCR scanners were unable to read it. For the selected drugs in the time period covered by this request, 99.68% of items could be attributed to an identified NHS number. A patient may appear in more than one count, for example if they have prescribing in multiple SICBLs, multiple age groups or multiple products. Therefore you must not aggregate patient counts or present them in any way other than in these data sets. ##Data Queries Please contact [email protected] ensuring you quote the above reference if you have any specific questions regarding this response; or, if you feel you may be misunderstanding or misinterpreting the information; or, if you plan on publishing the data. ##Reusing the data and copyright If you plan on producing a press or broadcast story based upon the data please contact [email protected] . This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented. The information supplied to you continues to be protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and is subject to NHSBSA copyright. This information is licenced under the terms of the Open Government Licence detailed at: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ Should you wish to re-use the information you must include the following statement: “Data Warehouse, NHSBSA Copyright 2026”. Failure to do so is a breach of the terms of the licence. Information you receive which is not subject to NHSBSA Copyright continues to be protected by the copyright of the person, or organisation, from which the information originated. Please obtain their permission before reproducing any third party (non NHSBSA Copyright) information.