Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)

HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is the regular use of HIV medications by HIV-negative people to prevent HIV acquisition.

People at high risk of HIV are eligible for PrEP. In Australia, some sexually active gay and bisexual men, transgender people and heterosexual people with an HIV positive partner who does not have an undetectable viral load are population groups that are at high risk.

Research shows that the medication used for PrEP is highly effective at preventing HIV transmission among these population groups.

On 21 March 2018, the Federal Minister for Health announced that PrEP will be subsidised by the Australian Government through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) from 1 April 2018. For more information about what this means please see the AFAO and ASHM PrEP Factsheet (English). The factsheet is also available in Plain English, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese and Indonesian.

PrEP has the potential to significantly impact Australia’s response to the HIV epidemic. It is an important new option in the suite of HIV prevention strategies and, alongside treatment as prevention, will support Australia to meet its target of ending HIV transmission.

The critical role of Civil Society Organisations in advocating for equitable and affordable access to PrEP in Australia

ESTIMATING THE NUMBER OF PrEP USERS IN AUSTRALIA

In 2015, AFAO commissioned the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales to provide estimates of the number of people who would need to be on PrEP in Australia to realise PrEP’s potential to reduce HIV notifications. In response, the Kirby Institute provided a report that lays out estimates of eligibility for PrEP in gay men in Australia, following the Australasian Society for HIV Medicine (ASHM) Australian Commentary on Prescribing PrEP in Australia. The Report is comprised of three documents:

The Report

The Appendum to the Report

Estimates of PrEP eligibility by jurisdiction

See also: