Omega-3 acid ethyl ester medicines were approved for medical use in Europe in 2000 and in the United States in 2004.[4][2] It is available as a generic medication and over the counter.[3][1] A one-month supply in the United Kingdom costs the NHS about £6 as of 2019.[3] In the United States the wholesale cost of this amount is about 7.50 USD.[6] In 2016 it was the 139th most prescribed medication in the United States with more than 4 million prescriptions.[7]