2016-01-12
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.
“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 the Greens Spokesperson on Sexuality, Senator Robert 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.