top of page
Bottle of PrEP pills

New Zealand

The Law

New Zealand has a copyright treaty with the USA and Gilead, the branded manufacture of Truvada, the original PrEP pill, is the only version that is allowed to be sold directly in New Zealand at the moment.  Unfortunately it can be as much as $1000 NZD per bottle or months supply.  The good news is that New Zealand law allows for Personal Importation of the much cheaper and much more affordable generics from overseas.  They must be bought outside the country, online, and delivered to your New Zealand address.  See the list of suppliers who you can do that through in our Buy PrEP Section.  You are allowed to import 3 months worth at a time, for personal use, and not for resale.

Recently PrEP have been approved for prophylactic (HIV preventative) use by the Medsafe (equivalent of the New Zealand FDA).  Though some doctors were prepared to write prescriptions "off script" before, they now have official sanction from the Medsafe to give you a prescription for PrEP.

Is a Prescription Needed

A prescription is needed to get your PrEP order through New Zealand Customs.  It is required under the Personal Importation Scheme.  See Prescribing Doctors to find a GP or clinic that is PrEP-aware and will write your script for you.  You will need to go back each 3 months for a new script and your doctor will test to makes sure you are still HIV negative, for STIs and your kidney function to make sure your body is working well and can handle long term medication.

How to get PrEP

There are four ways to get PrEP in New Zealand.  Basically if you can get to a PrEP proscribing doctor then you can get PrEP one way or another and even free if you are struggling to afford it.

Buy Truvada​​​​​

You can walk into a pharmacy that stocks Truvada, the Gilead version of PrEP, and buy it over the counter with your prescription.  It is very expensive and outside the means of most New Zealanders.

Trials

NZPrEP study which will make PrEP freely available to 150 gay and bisexual men in Auckland - See more at: http://www.nzprep.org/

Personal Importation (buy overseas and have delivered)

This method is legal and available to all New Zealanders no matter where they live in the nation.  The cost is currently as low as $115 NZD ($85.15 USD) for a 3 month supply (90 pills) delivered to your door.  You will need your prescription to upload to the online pharmacy and you can only buy 3 months at a time per script per person.  They pharmacy will need to include your script in the package for New Zealand Customs.  Some online pharmacies and suppliers may let you skip uploading the script to them but then your run the risk of Customs holding your package until you can provide a script to them anyway.

Free PrEP through the Green Cross Pharmacy low income scheme

One of the online suppliers, Green Cross Pharmacy, run a scheme to provide free PrEP to people on low incomes.  In New Zealand you can apply for a coupon through the New Zealand AIDS Foundation (NZAF) on their web page. You just need to upload your script and something like your Community Service Card to prove you are eligible.  You can apply each three months for a new coupon to keep going or just as you need if your circumstances vary.  More information is available through NZAF (New Zealand AIDS Foundation) at https://endinghiv.org.nz/blog-events/free-prep-for-community-services-card-holders

bottom of page