A recent report on the 2013 Health Survey for England revealed some stark facts about the number of medicines taken by adults in England.1 This survey collated evidence on self-reported taking of prescription medicines. Fifty per cent of women and 43% of men reported taking at least one prescribed medicine in the last week. In keeping with recent concerns about burgeoning multimorbidity and polypharmacy,2 more than a fifth of men and nearly a quarter of women reported taking at least three prescription medicines. Although there are not comparable survey data, the annual number of prescriptions per head of population are similar in England and Scotland and higher …