'I would try and look at every road possible to not pay that.' 'Honestly, financially, I probably couldn't afford ,' he said. The 27-year-old who lives in central Auckland had not been sexually active since before Auckland went into lockdown in mid-August and he did not renew his prescription when his supply ran out. James, which is not his real name, did not know he would technically be ruled ineligible for funded PrEP until approached by RNZ for this story.
The prescription drug is funded for some people in New Zealand in three-month supplies, however among Pharmac's criteria is that the patient must have had unprotected receptive anal intercourse with a casual partner in the previous three months.Īuckland surpassed three months in alert level 3 or 4 restrictions last week, meaning gay men, and other men who have sex with men (MSM), or transgender people, in the region should not have been having casual sex at all, ruling them ineligible for funded supply renewal when their stock runs out.Ī doctor could still prescribe PrEP for the patient to self-fund, which the New Zealand Aids Foundation estimates costs about $183.45, plus additional pharmacy fees, for a 90-day supply. If taken once a day, it reduces the risk of HIV infection by 99 percent. Pre-exposure Prophylaxis, better known as PrEP, is a pill taken to reduce the risk of contracting HIV.
A bottle of 'PrEP' ( Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) used to prevent HIV.
