The Australian Greens have renewed their calls for the federal government to remove barriers to accessing HIV-prevention medication, Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) following reports of an 85 per cent increase in sales in Australia from overseas suppliers.
PrEP treatment involves people who are HIV negative taking a daily dose of the medication Truvada to significantly reduce their chances of acquiring the virus.
The treatment has been approved for use in the USA, France, Kenya and South Africa, and trials have been conducted in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
The treatment is not yet officially approved for use in Australia and it has not been added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, individuals however can order the drug from overseas, as long as their have a prescription from their doctor.
Green Cross Pharmacy in South Africa is one of a number of online sources for PrEP — and they’ve reported a big increase in orders from Australia.
The Greens spokesperson on sexuality, Senator Robert Simms, said a recent report showing an increase of 85% in overseas purchaces showed that the government was lagging behind the communities needs.
“It clear that Australians want access to this effective medication and are purchasing it at huge expense online. It is really unfair that people are expected to pay more than $700 a year to order medication that is available in countries like the United States and France. Without a medical certificate, the cost skyrockets to more than $800 a month.” said Senator Simms.
“Australians have a right to access this effective HIV prevention tool and the Turnbull Government should be doing all that it can to make PrEP available in Australia – including expanding trials in all states and territories.”
Last year, in the lead up to World AIDS Day, Senator Simms moved a motion in the Senate calling on the Government to remove regulatory barriers to PrEP and other HIV prevention tools and to expand trials.
While trials have been held in three Australian states there have been no trials proposed for Western Australia. The drug is being accessed for approval in Australia but the drawn out process is expected to take a considerable amount of time.
OIP Staff
