In 2010/2011, the UK's National Health Service spent £49.2 million ($77 million) on 15.3 million prescriptions for sleeping pills - that's an increase of 17% compared to three years before.
In the North West alone, £8.5 million was spent on 2.5 million prescriptions for sleeping pills. The most popular sleeping pill was zoplicone (a non-benzodiazepine hypnotic) - this drug alone was given to over five million patients.
If we do the math, each prescription is costing about £3.20 ($5). When drugs are that cheap, it becomes rather more obvious why cognitive behavioral therapy is often so difficult to access.
Source: The Guardian
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Last updated: August 3, 2012
