Medicines wasted in England last year could have filled up 75 swimming pools a year, new analysis by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has found.
Following Freedom of Information requests from local NHS Integrated Care Boards, the NPA has estimated that just shy of 3,400 tonnes worth of partially used medicines were disposed of last year in England alone, costing the NHS upwards of £480 million.
The NPA has called for more regular medicine reviews for those with several repeat prescriptions to identify medicines that are no longer needed. As well as this, it has have urged patients to not over order medication and instead only to order repeat prescription when they need it.
The NPA represents approximately 6,000 independent community pharmacies in the UK.