England October to December 2023

Published 7 March 2024

Summary

Between October and December 2023:

There were 1.1 million drugs for dementia prescribed to an estimated 260,000 identified patients.

The cost of prescribed drugs for dementia was £7.5 million.

1. Things you should know

Dementia is a progressive clinical syndrome characterised by a range of cognitive and behavioural symptoms that can include memory loss, problems with reasoning and communication, a change in personality, and a reduced ability to carry out daily activities such as washing or dressing. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Other common types of dementia include vascular dementia (where dementia is due to cerebrovascular disease), dementia with Lewy bodies (where dementia is due to protein deposits in the brain), mixed dementia, and frontotemporal dementia (where dementia is due to progressive nerve loss in either the frontal or temporal lobes of the brain).

Drugs for dementia are described in the BNF 68 section 4.11:

  • BNF chemical substance 0411000D0 - Donepezil hydrochloride
  • BNF chemical substance 0411000E0 - Rivastigmine
  • BNF chemical substance 0411000F0 - Galantamine
  • BNF chemical substance 0411000G0 - Memantine hydrochloride

1.1. Drugs for dementia

Dementia is a disease that leads to progressive loss of brain function typified by memory loss, confusion, speech difficulties and problems in understanding. There are over 100 different types of dementia. The most common forms are:

  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Vascular dementia
  • Dementia with Lewy bodies
  • Pick’s disease
  • Huntington’s disease
  • Alcohol-related dementia
  • HIV/AIDS related dementia

Dementia mainly affects older people but can also occur in people as young as thirty due to either alcohol abuse or HIV/AIDS. No cure for dementia currently exists. However, drugs may slow the rate of decline or in some patients make a small improvement in symptoms. Despite this, disease progression is inevitable.

You can find more information about the various types of dementia on the NHS website.

2. Results - Drugs for dementia

Figure 1: Number of prescribed items and identified patients by financial quarter - BNF 4.11: Drugs for dementia

1.1 million drugs for dementia items prescribed in Q3 2023/24.

260,000 identified patients received a drugs for dementia item in Q3 2023/24.

While the long term trend has varied, drugs for dementia items and identified patients are currently trending upwards.

Figure 2: Cost of prescribing by financial quarter - BNF 4.11: Drugs for dementia

The cost of prescribed drugs for dementia items was £7.5 million in Q3 2023/24.

The cost of drugs for dementia increased by 11% since the previous quarter, and shows a recent upwards trend alongside items and identified patients.

Figure 3: Number of prescribed items and identified patients by month - BNF 4.11: Drugs for dementia

Identified patients who received prescribing for drugs for dementia increased by 5.8% in the 12 months to December, compared to the previous 12 months.

Drugs for dementia items increased by 5.4% in the 12 months to December, compared to the previous 12 months.

3. Sections in this release