Costs & Charges

What does a private prescription cost in the UK?

Q: What does a private prescription cost in the UK?

There is no fixed charge for a private prescription. You pay the actual cost of the medicine plus the pharmacy's dispensing fee or markup, so the total can be anywhere from a few pounds for a generic medicine to hundreds for a branded speciality drug. Because each pharmacy sets its own private prices, the same private prescription can cost noticeably different amounts at different pharmacies.

By Pick My Pharmacy Editorial · Updated 9 July 2026

How private prescription pricing works

A private prescription is written outside the NHS — by a private GP, an online doctor service, a private specialist, or an NHS prescriber acting privately. The pharmacy charges you the real cost of the medicine plus its own dispensing fee or percentage markup, and both parts vary by pharmacy. A common generic antibiotic might cost £5–£15 in total, while a branded medicine with a high trade price could run to hundreds of pounds. This is completely different from NHS prescriptions, where everyone in England pays the same flat £9.90 per item regardless of the medicine's true cost. Prescription prepayment certificates and NHS exemptions make no difference to private prescriptions.

Why the same prescription costs different amounts

Because private dispensing prices are unregulated, two pharmacies on the same street can quote genuinely different totals for an identical prescription. Differences come from the dispensing fee (commonly a few pounds to £15 or more), the markup applied to the medicine's cost, and the wholesale price each pharmacy pays. For a one-off cheap generic the difference may be pennies; for an expensive or repeated medicine it can be tens of pounds per dispensing. You are entitled to ask any pharmacy for a quote before handing over the prescription — a reputable pharmacy will tell you the total price. If you take a private medicine long term, it is worth phoning two or three pharmacies, including distance-selling pharmacies, before each large purchase.

Ways to keep the cost down

Ask the prescriber to write the generic name rather than a brand where clinically appropriate — generic versions of off-patent medicines are usually dramatically cheaper, and pharmacists can only substitute a generic on a private prescription if the prescription allows it. Compare pharmacies before dispensing, especially for repeat private medicines. Ask whether a larger pack size or a longer supply on one dispensing works out cheaper per dose. And check whether you actually need to go private at all: if an NHS prescriber would prescribe the same medicine, the NHS route costs at most £9.90 per item in England and nothing in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland. For minor illnesses, a pharmacist may be able to help under NHS arrangements such as Pharmacy First in England without any private fees.

Private prescriptions from online services

Many private prescriptions now come from online prescribing services, where a questionnaire or video consultation with a prescriber leads to a prescription dispensed by a partner pharmacy or posted to a pharmacy you choose. In England these prescribing services must be registered with the CQC, and any dispensing pharmacy must be GPhC-registered with its premises number displayed on the website. Legitimate services always include a genuine consultation — a prescription-only medicine can never lawfully be sold without one. When comparing online prices, look at the whole cost: consultation fee, medicine price, and delivery. A service advertising a cheap headline price may add fees at checkout. If anything about an online seller feels off — no consultation, no GPhC number, prices far below everyone else — do not order; check the GPhC register and speak to a pharmacist or GP instead.