06 February 25
Ending HIV
PrEP is ending HIV transmission
You may have heard of PrEP or Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, it’s a little pill that prevents HIV transmission and tens of thousands of guys take it across Australia.
In NSW we’ve seen some incredible reductions in HIV transmission as a result of our community’s uptake of PrEP. The HIV data has shown that PrEP is ending HIV transmission, but we didn’t just get here overnight!
A short history of PrEP down under
It’s no secret that the introduction of PrEP changed the HIV prevention game.
PrEP was first made publicly available through a successful trial in NSW between 2016 and 2018, where PrEP proved an extremely effective form of HIV prevention.
A short time after these findings were published, PrEP was listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), making it accessible for those with Medicare to purchase it through pharmacies around the country.
Fast forward to 2023, and 30,626 people have accessed PrEP in NSW through the PBS at least once. That’s pretty amazing!
PrEP in 2025
With more of us adding PrEP into our sex lives, we’ve also been able to change the way we take PrEP to suit our circumstances. Now you can PrEP multiple ways; daily, on-demand or periodically!
Daily PrEP is easy to remember, you take it once a day, and lets you line up hookups any time you like for round-the-clock protection.
On-demand PrEP can be taken just when you need the protection. Suitable for cis-guys who have sex with guys, this form of PrEP can be taken 2 hours before sex and is perfect for those who can plan or delay sex.
With the cost of living going up, on-demand PrEP has been increasing in popularity, reducing the amount of PrEP you have to buy over a period.
Periodic PrEP is much the same as daily, however, you might limit taking your PrEP to a particular period, like a holiday overseas, or a festival period like Mardi Gras, when you’re going to be having sex!
Interested? Get PrEP now!
You can get PrEP today by visiting your local doctor (general practitioner). Any doctor can prescribe it, learn more about having the chat with your doctor. Of course, make sure to consider if your doctor offers bulk billing to keep the costs down.
If you don’t have Medicare, it may be possible to access PrEP through a NSW public sexual health clinic. Access to testing and PrEP scripts are made available on a case-by-case basis, and availability varies between sexual health clinics, so it’s best to check with the clinic before your appointment.
PrEP in the future
PrEP’s story isn’t over yet, and many new things may be in store for PrEP users in the future! Here’s what might be coming next:
Long-acting injectable PrEP
Did you ever wish taking PrEP could be a little more hands-off? One form of long-acting injectable PrEP, (Lencapavir) has shown some very promising results. This form of PrEP only needs to be taken twice yearly!
It’s still undergoing research, so we’ll need to wait for full trial results and scientific peer review before we see this new PrEP tech start to be adopted globally.
PrEP might become easier to access by allowing non-doctor health professionals to supply it
Late last year, the National HIV Strategy stated among its priorities to consider relaxing restrictions on PrEP prescription and monitoring cycles.
What could this mean? At the moment you can only get PrEP after having a consultation with a doctor and some accompanied testing. However, if restrictions were eased, you’d potentially be able to get PrEP after consulting with other health professionals, such as pharmacists, registered nurses or peers.
If something like this goes ahead, it could be easier to get PrEP at services without a doctor, extending access to regional medical services in areas where there are fewer available doctors, or where cost is a barrier when seeing a doctor. So watch this space!
PrEP is ending HIV transmission.