Israeli public health funds to subsidize drug to prevent HIV
Israel is one of the first countries to implement the pre-exposure prophylaxis program.
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICHAIDS Ribbon(photo credit: REUTERS)
A drug to prevent the transmission of HIV from carriers to healthy people will be sold at a subsidized price by all four public health funds, following efforts by the Israel AIDS Task Force and other groups.Now, they are waiting for the drug, called Truvada or pre-exposure prophylaxis, to be approved for inclusion in next year’s Health Basket.The subsidized cost of the drug from the health funds ranges from NIS 300 to NIS 500 per month.The Health Ministry approved a pre-exposure prophylaxis program last year, making Israel one of the first countries to implement it. While most gay men use condoms, those that don’t, need the drug to prevent infection. Those who take the drug have to be under a doctor’s supervision, because it can cause complications.Experts say there is already a black market for Truvada here, and many order it from abroad.
