National trends in the use and costs of anti-obesity medications in England 1998-2005.

BACKGROUND

To report the trends in the use and costs of anti-obesity medications in England from 1998 to 2005.

METHODS

We analysed data on all community anti-obesity drug prescriptions in England collated by the prescription cost analysis system.

RESULTS

Between 1998 and 2005, Orlistat prescriptions rose 36-fold from 17,880 to 646,700 and total cost increased by over 35-fold. Sibutramine prescriptions rose from 2001 to 2005 from 53,393 to 227,000, a 4-fold increase. Although prescriptions of Orlistat and Sibutramine have increased substantially since they were first introduced, the rate of growth decreased substantially in recent years until 2005, when a significant increase in the number and cost of prescriptions for orlistat occurred yet again.

CONCLUSIONS

We found a large increase in the use and costs of anti-obesity prescriptions, consistent with the increased awareness of obesity amongst health care professionals and the public. Despite this large increase, there are still no head-to-head studies at a national level that directly compare all anti-obesity medication in use in the UK.