Is Generic Truvada Safe?

Is generic PrEP safe?

Short answer: yes. When I first started prescribing PrEP, I’ll admit I wondered whether the generic versions were as good as the original brand. Here’s what I can tell you now.

Generic PrEP is made under licence from Gilead, the company behind the original brand, Truvada. That licensing comes with stringent testing to make sure the generic delivers the same active ingredients (tenofovir disoproxil and emtricitabine), in the same amounts, working the same way. It’s held to the same standard as the original.

The real-world evidence backs this up. Generic PrEP was used in the Melbourne PrEPX study, tested thoroughly, and protected people exactly as well as the original brand. Today, the PrEP dispensed through Australian pharmacies on the PBS is generic, and it’s keeping tens of thousands of people HIV negative.

So if you’re handed a generic, you can be confident. Same drug, same protection.

Here’s how to access PrEP in Australia.

Stay safe, team.

Dr George