Further to the answer to question S1W-13959 by Susan Deacon on 21 March 2001, what percentage of the NHS drugs budget was spent on (a) obes…

The table gives the percentage of the total prescribing expenditure for drugs used in treatment of obesity (as defined in Section 4.5 of the British National Formulary) and drugs used in diabetes (as defined in Section 6.1 of the British National Formulary) for the financial years 2000-01 to 2003-04, and April to November 2004. The data refer to prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors, but do not take into account medicines dispensed by hospitals or hospital based clinics. The cost of the drugs is before deduction of discount and patient charges and addition of dispensing fees.
The data reflect the costs of medicines used to treat obesity and diabetes directly and do not include drugs prescribed to treat other conditions associated with these disease states.

| 2000-01
| 2001-02
| 2002-03
| 2003-04
| April to November 2004

Percentage Total Expenditure
| Percentage Total Expenditure
| Percentage Total Expenditure
| Percentage Total Expenditure
| Percentage Total Expenditure

Drugs used in the Treatment of Obesity
| 0.111%
| 0.337%
| 0.412%
| 0.364%
| 0.375%

Drugs Used In Diabetes
| 3.498%
| 3.730%
| 3.921%
| 4.182%
| 4.510%