#pharmac

New Zealand is one step closer to having access to affordable PrEP for people at high risk of acquiring HIV. Earlier today the country’s government agency that decides which pharmaceuticals to publicly fund, PHARMAC, announced it wants to fund PrEP as a HIV-preventative drug.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effect HIV preventative treatment. It is currently available as a HIV treatment in New Zealand. But to access it as PrEP is very expensive.

The New Zealand AIDS Foundation (NZAF) urged PHARMAC to publicly fund PrEP earlier this year. More than 2,400 people signed NZAF’s petition to convince PHARMAC. New Zealand experienced its highest rate of new diagnoses in 2016, but PHARMAC’s decision to fund PrEP could help bring that number down. It would also be one of the few countries in the world where PrEP is publicly funded.

PHARMAC funding would maximise the potential benefit of PrEP in New Zealand,’ said Jason Myers, executive director, NZAF.

‘Making this tool publicly available would be a giant leap forward towards our ambitious goal of ending new HIV transmissions in New Zealand by 2025.’