Mon 6 Mar 2017 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Approved access to the PrEP medication Truvada is being cautiously welcomed by the NZ AIDS Foundation which says difficulties remain in accessing and using the drug to ward off HIV infection and a poor level of training of GPs. The government's medical and therapeutic products regulator, Medsafe, has approved Truvada for use as a pre-exposure treatment which pre-loads a person's body with HIV-attacking chemicals so the chance of contracting the often debilitating virus through unprotected sex is greatly minimised. However, for effective protection the drug must be of high quality and taken regularly and reliably, with good back-up from a physician. Prescriptions for the drug, which is an alternative to condom use for those who struggle with condoms, can now be accessed through GPs and sexual health clinics. However, the NZAF notes that very few doctors are currently considered to be up to speed on the details of Truvada use in this context. And the cost of a month's supply, which is still not funded by the government health system, can be $1,000 if purchased in New Zealand where the quality of the pills is closely monitored. Generic versions of the drug can be purchased overseas for as little as $60 for a month's supply but the NZAF warns there is no guarantee of quality unless reliable sources such as several that have been set up by gay men in countries such as the UK are used. "There still aren’t many doctors in New Zealand who have good knowledge of PrEP," the NZAF, which currently lists only four doctors or clinics on a national list of mdeics it is confident are up to speed on PrEP, says. "It is more than just a prescription for some pills, it’s part of a comprehensive sexual health programme that includes regular monitoring of HIV status, other STIs and kidney function. It’s important that doctors have good training in order to maximise patient safety and PrEP effectiveness." The Foundation says it is currently advocating for more PrEP training for New Zealand doctors and a pilot study designed to convince drug funding agency Pharmac that PrEP is a useful tool in the fight against the surging HIV epidemic in New Zealand. By far the greatest proportion of people contracting HIV each year in this country and gay and bisexual men. 2015 saw the highest ever annual number of newly-identified GHIV infections in the thirty-year long epidemic and GayN.com Daily News understands there no indications that soon to be released figures for 2016 will show any improvement. The government currently spends $32 million and rising per year on treatments for people with HIV but only $4.5 million on prevention programmes.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 6th March 2017 - 1:36pm