Adrenaline prescribing across the NHS.
In primary care, adrenaline means auto-injectors: 98% of this line's 493,000 items a year are pre-filled pens, £65m at list price, growing steadily with allergy prevalence and carry-two guidance. Prescribing runs several times higher in England's most affluent areas, one of the sharpest social gradients on this site, and the school year is visible in the monthly chart.
The NHS in England dispensed 493,800 prescription items of Adrenaline in the 12 months to May 2026, across primary care and hospitals.
Spending on Adrenaline over those 12 months was £65.2m at net ingredient cost, the list price of what was dispensed before any discounts.
Items were up 14.2% on the previous 12 months.
71% of Adrenaline volume moved through primary care and 29% through hospital pharmacies.
Among Integrated Care Boards, NHS West and North London ICB dispensed the highest volume of Adrenaline.
Source: NHS Business Services Authority open data (English Prescribing Data and SCMD), OGL v3.0. Items count prescriptions dispensed, not patients treated.
| Month | Items | Spend (NIC) |
|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | 42,331 | £5.5m |
| April 2026 | 42,858 | £5.6m |
| March 2026 | 44,201 | £5.9m |
| February 2026 | 40,064 | £5.4m |
| January 2026 | 40,677 | £5.5m |
| December 2025 | 29,853 | £3.9m |
| November 2025 | 28,023 | £3.6m |
| October 2025 | 32,914 | £4.3m |
| September 2025 | 51,360 | £7.0m |
| August 2025 | 44,585 | £5.9m |
| July 2025 | 52,256 | £6.8m |
| June 2025 | 44,678 | £5.9m |
The same series as the chart, most recent month first. The full monthly history, as CSV, sits behind Apply.
Average items by calendar month across the full history, indexed to the annual mean.
Adrenaline across all 36 ICBs.
Every Integrated Care Board in England, shaded by how much adrenaline its GPs dispense per head of population. Hover an ICB to name it. The ranked figures for all 36 ICBs, and the drill-down to practice level, are in the full report.
Darker shading marks where Adrenaline is dispensed most per head of population. Exact figures for every ICB, and the drill-down to practice level, are in the full report.
Zoomed out to the 7 NHS regions.
The same 12 months rolled up to NHS England's seven regions, ranked by intensity.
The teaser view.
Three rows each. The full 36-ICB view, every prescribing organisation, every strength and the hospital picture sit below the fold, behind Apply.
- 1 NHS West and North London ICB 40k
- 2 NHS Surrey and Sussex ICB 32k
- 3 NHS Central East ICB 31k
- – + 33 more. Unlock the full 36-ICB table. Unlock →
- 1 NHS Northamptonshire ICB +23.5%
- 2 NHS Coventry and Warwickshire ICB +22.5%
- 3 NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB +20.7%
- – + 33 more. Unlock every ICB, ranked. Unlock →
- 1 EpiPen 300micrograms/0.3ml (1 in 1,000) inj auto-injectors 68%
- 2 Jext 300micrograms/0.3ml (1 in 1,000) inj auto-injectors 14%
- 3 EpiPen Jr. 150microg/0.3ml (1 in 2,000) inj auto-injectors 13%
- – + 3 more. Unlock every strength and pack. Unlock →
Split of items across NHSBSA primary care and SCMD hospital dispensing.
Prescribing by deprivation.
Items per 1,000 registered patients by deprivation decile (1 = most deprived), practice deprivation weighted by where each practice's patients live. Read the shape rather than the absolute level: the most and least deprived deciles cover far fewer practices, and age structure drives much of the gradient.
The devolved nations.
| Nation | Items · 12 months | Data to |
|---|---|---|
| England | 494k | May 2026 |
| Northern Ireland | 21k | May 2026 |
| Scotland | 44k | April 2026 |
| Wales | 23k | April 2026 |
Each nation publishes its own community prescribing data, with different coding and list rules, so read these per-nation rather than as an exact UK total. Sources: NHSBSA (England), Public Health Scotland.
What open data won't tell you about adrenaline.
The gradient reflects diagnosis and demand as much as underlying allergy; the data cannot separate them. Expiry-driven replacement means items track pens dispensed, not reactions treated.
Asked and answered.
Is adrenaline prescribing rising or falling in the NHS?
Rising. England dispensed 493,800 items of Adrenaline in the 12 months to May 2026, up 14.2% on the previous 12 months. Items count prescriptions dispensed, not patients treated, so the change can reflect dose and duration shifts as well as patient numbers.
How much does the NHS spend on adrenaline?
£65.2m at net ingredient cost in the 12 months to May 2026. Net ingredient cost is the list price of the medicine before discounts and rebates; the NHS's final bill, especially for hospital medicines, is usually lower.
Where in England is adrenaline prescribed most?
By raw volume, NHS West and North London ICB dispensed the most adrenaline in the last 12 months. Raw volume favours the biggest populations; the map on this page shades every ICB by items per head to correct for that.
How up to date is this data?
This page runs to May 2026, the most recent NHSBSA release. Prescribing data publishes roughly six to eight weeks in arrears, and DoseTrend refreshes within 48 hours of each monthly release.
The full breakdown.
Every ICB, every prescribing organisation, every strength, the hospital view, and the monthly briefing PDF. Sample rows shown below with the numbers obscured.
Related pages.
See the full molecule directory, or read about the data and pricing.
Track adrenaline like this, every month.
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