There are now several versions of generic emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (F/TDF for short; also available as brand name “Truvada®”) that can be purchased to be used as PrEP.
How much does it cost?
Some of our local pharmacists who have been looking into pricing have found the price to be as low as $14-$30 for a 30-pill bottle, depending on the manufacturer. Generic drug prices can fluctuate widely depending on demand so there is no guaranteed fixed price for F/TDF, but so far it looks like it will be very affordable through several different manufacturers.
What does this mean for patients?
Patients will still need a prescription in order to get a bottle of F/TDF from a pharmacy, but this may allow folks to have the option to pay out of pocket for the full cost of medication (as an absolute last resort) if they are facing immediate barriers to cost-coverage programs or insurance enrollment. Insured patients should have PrEP medications covered without a share of cost, but may not have a choice in which brand of F/TDF they are eligible to receive.
What does this mean for clinical sites?
If your clinic/emergency room/hospital/street team/mobile van already stocks medications to dispense to patients, we highly encourage your organization to purchase a supply of F/TDF to have on-hand. Research shows that offering a same-day start of medication dramatically increases PrEP uptake and that 2-1-1 dosing of F/TDF for anal sex can offer protection in as little as 2 hours from the time of the first 2-pill dose. This means that offering medication on-site for patients to take immediately can have a huge impact on increasing equity in PrEP access, uptake, and retention, and in reducing new HIV infections.
Where can I learn more about generic PrEP?
NASTAD recently released this FAQ fact sheet on generic PrEP but it hasn’t yet been updated with information about the newer generics. EBGTZ will continue to post updates as we learn more!
If you’d like to view the contents of this page as a PDF document, click here.