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Pharmacies in England dispensed over two million more prescription items to treat allergy between 2021-22 and 2025-26, according to the latest official data.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) said 17 million items commonly used to treat allergies were dispensed in 2025-26, with allergy dispensing growing by almost a fifth in five years.

Antihistamine dispensing increased by 18.2 per cent since 2021-22, when 14,296,821 items were dispensed. In 2025-26, 16,900,477 items classified as antihistamines were dispensed at a cost of £124 million, an increase of 63 per cent since 2021-22 when the cost of antihistamine dispensing was £76.1 million.

Fexofenadine, branded Allevia or Treathay, was the most dispensed antihistamine with 7,058,089 items, followed by Cetirizine, branded Benadryl or Piriteze, with 3,571,835 items, Promethazine (2,895,697 items), Loratadine, branded Clarityn, with 1,441,787 items and Chlorphenamine, branded Piriton, with 773,775 items.

Fexofenadine saw a 50.7 per cent increase in items dispensed since 2021-22. In June 2025 alone, 703,407 items were dispensed at a cost of £25.7 million in 2025-26.