Pill to cut fat is NHS Scotland's most used

A DRUG for reducing cholesterol has become the most commonly prescribed medication in Scotland, overtaking aspirin for the first time.

The latest figures by ISD on drug dispensing by NHS Scotland show that 3.07 million prescriptions for simvastatin were issued to patients in the 2011/12 financial year.

That puts it in first place ahead of omeprazole, a drug which helps neutralise stomach acid, which accounted for 3.06 million prescriptions last year. Aspirin – traditionally the most prescribed medication in Scotland – has dropped to third place with 2.89 million prescriptions, compared to three million in 2010/11.

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