Please see intructions below!
In 2017 Israel joined the Western world in the fight against HIV infection: The Ministry of Health has approved family doctors to prescribe the drug "Truvada" and the Israeli generic of Teva "Emtrivir" to prevent infection with HIV. This is in contrast to the situation so far, in which the drug was given in emergency situations only (i.e. after a sexual exposure) in which there was a risk of infection or as part of the drug-cocktail in the treatment of carriers and patients.
In the Western world, drugs have been given for many years to prevent infection among high risk groups that perform unprotected sex. In the United States the treatment is available since July 2012 and is covered by all medical insurance companies. Anyone at risk can contact their family doctor and get a prescription. Preventive care has also been approved in Canada, France, Norway and South Africa. Other European countries plan to distribute the treatment soon.
The change in the registry was granted by the Ministry of Health, according to which family doctors and doctors from other specialties will soon undergo training and will be allowed to prescribe the drugs that prevent HIV infection. However, the drug will still be sold at a full price of NIS 2,400 a month.
Meanwhile, the drug was submitted to the nearest national "medication basket" committee to allow groups at risk, such as gays and drug addicts who have unprotected casual sex, to buy it at a reduced price.
PrEP is the initials of "Pre Exposure Prophylaxis", a preventive treatment against HIV, the virus that can lead to AIDS. Studies have shown that routine administration of this preventive treatment to high risk groups has significantly reduced infection rates. Several Western countries have already begun providing PrEP treatment to populations at risk.
The most commonly used drugs for PrEP, is Truvada and Teva's Emtrivir. The drugs contain a combination of the drugs Tenofovir and Emtricitabine, which inhibit the replication and spread of the virus in the body.
The treatment should be taken on a daily basis, and the kidney function should be monitored. Taking Truvada is not a substitution for condom use! Although the treatment reduces the infection rates significantly, it does not reduce it to zero. Moreover, there are plenty other STD's to be aware of, such as Syphilis, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Hepatitis that can infect people do not use condoms.
How to get PrEP in Israel?
Our clinic is authorized to prescribe pre-exposure-prophylaxis treatment against HIV (PrEP). In order to get the treatment you must have a recent result (within 1 month) of the following lab tests:
HIV
Hepatitis C Ab
Hepatitis B Ag+Ab
Creatinine (kidney function)
General urine test
PCR Urine test for STD
Syphils
recomended but not madatory - PCR throat and rectal swabs for STD
If you don't have these results from abroad, you can get it done at one of the labs in Tel aviv (for example - Rosenblat lab in Gordon 41 st. 03-5221014). Please note - the payment for these test is being done directly at the lab. You can also get some of the tests (the stds) for free at the sexual health clinic on Levinsky street. After getting the test results - you can contact our appointments coordinator on whatsapp wa.me/972505776141. Please make sure you have the test results!
You will be given an appointment with the doctor, and after reviwing your medical history and test results - you will be prescribed EMTRIVIR or TRUVADA for 1-3 months. With the prescription - you will need to go to a pharmacy - we recommend Shor-Tabachnik Pharmacy since they are very efficient. Please note:
Pharmacies do not hold this medication routinely in their stock, so they will need to order it for you - it usually takes up to 2 working days to get it.
The cost of 1 box of EMTRIVIR/TRUVADA is around 2000 ILS (As of May 2022)
In order to renew the prescription, we require to see updated STD and Kidney function tests, every 3 months.