HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is the use of antiretroviral medications to prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission. PrEP is safe and highly effective at preventing HIV transmission when taken as prescribed.

PrEP is different to PEP (post exposure prophylaxis) – PrEP needs to be taken as recommended BEFORE a potential exposure to HIV, whereas PEP is taken within 72 hours AFTER a possible exposure to HIV.

For more information about PrEP or HIV visit:

Accessing PrEP

To access PrEP in South Australia, you first need to make an appointment at a general practice or sexual health clinic.

Any doctor or nurse practitioner can prescribe PrEP, but if you want to see one who is experienced in prescribing PrEP then visit the following websites to find a PrEP prescriber near you:

At the appointment you will discuss with your doctor or nurse practitioner whether PrEP is right for you, and you will also need some health checks before a prescription for PrEP will be offered to you.

Once you have a prescription, there are a few ways that you can get it filled:

  1. Community pharmacy: Any community pharmacy can fill a valid prescription for PrEP. If you have a current Medicare card, this will be at a subsidised price through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

  2. Online pharmacy: Whether you have a Medicare card or not, there are a number of overseas or Australian online pharmacies that can dispense PrEP, at a cost, as long as you have a valid prescription. For more information visit the PrEP Access Now website.

No Medicare, No Problem!

From March 2026, people who do not have a Medicare card can access free HIV PrEP from Adelaide Sexual Health Centre.

This program is funded by the Federal Government for an initial two-year period.

For more information contact Adelaide Sexual Health Centre.

U=U (undetectable equals untransmittable)

The risk of acquiring HIV from any exposure involving a person known to have HIV is dependent on the amount of virus they have in their body (their HIV viral load).

People living with HIV who are on effective antiretroviral treatment medications and maintain an undetectable viral load, cannot sexually transmit HIV. This is known as treatment as prevention or U=U (undetectable equals untransmittable). An undetectable viral load also significantly reduces the risk of transmission of HIV via injecting and breastfeeding.

For further information about U=U: