Last month, GP leaders warned that 'erratic' supplies of vitamin D drugs and the use of expensive bespoke products were pushing up NHS costs.

UK CMOs had called for better awareness of the risks of vitamin D deficiency in a letter to health professionals in early February.

They asked GPs to alert patients at risk of vitamin D deficiency and inform them of how to get free supplements to prevent diseases such as rickets.

Now, advice from the London Medicines Information Service sets out 19 products costing between £0.91 and £141.68 that GPs and the NHS can prescribe to patients to fulfil the CMOs' recommendations.

These include low-cost, government-funded Healthy Start vitamins as well as more expensive liquid forms manufactured as made-to-order products called 'specials'.

The advice also includes details of availability.

Last month, GP revealed that the NHS prescribed expensive unlicensed vitamin D medicines costing up to £2,400 in 2011.

GP had previously found that primary care prescribing costs for vitamin D have tripled since 2004 and will hit £100m by 2013.

• Click here to read the CMO advice on vitamin D supplementation.
• Click here for the London Medicines Information Service advice on vitamin D products.