Wasted medicines thrown away in England annually could fill 75 swimming pools
The National Pharmacy Association estimates the waste costs the NHS at least £480 million each year.
Wasted medicines thrown away in England over a single year could fill 75 swimming pools, according to the National Pharmacy Association (NPA).
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The organisation estimates around 3,400 tonnes of partially used medicines were thrown away in England during 2024/25, with the waste costing the NHS at least £480 million each year.
The NPA, which represents around 6,000 independent community pharmacies across the UK, said more needs to be done to prevent medicines from being ordered when they are not needed.
“Wasted medicines cost the NHS significant sums of money every year that could be invested in better services for patients,” said Olivier Picard, chairman of the National Pharmacy Association.
“More than this, wasting medicines can have environmental and health consequences and we can do much more to tackle this growing problem.”
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The NPA is calling for people who receive several repeat prescriptions to have more regular medication reviews, which could help identify medicines they no longer need.
The public has also been urged “not to over order” and only request repeat prescriptions when they are necessary.
“We are urging patients only to request medicines if they really need them when ordering repeat prescriptions,” Mr Picard added.
“As well as this, patients who are prescribed multiple medicines should have these more regularly reviewed to ensure they are being fully utilised."
Dr Rasha Abdelsalam Elshenawy, senior lecturer in postgraduate medicine at the University of Hertfordshire, warned that the issue goes beyond the financial cost to the NHS.
“Medicines waste isn’t only a financial and environmental problem - it’s a patient safety and resistance problem."
“Leftover antibiotics kept at home are often taken later without medical advice, which fuels antimicrobial resistance, one of the biggest threats to modern medicine.”
An NHS England spokesperson said: “The NHS has taken action to ensure people can better manage their prescriptions on their mobile phones through the NHS app including repeat prescriptions."
“We know there is more to do which is why several local NHS services are running campaigns to reduce medicines waste, alongside wider efforts to optimise medicines use that have also seen the total number of dependency forming medications prescribed fall over the last decade.”