UPDATE ON SOURCING PrEP ONLINE:

It has come to our attention that the Health Products Regulation Authority (HPRA) have increased surveillance of PrEP orders coming in to Ireland. We have received reports of orders being intercepted by the HPRA and PrEP medicine being confiscated.

As mentioned in the section ‘Where do I get PrEP’, it is illegal to source medicine of any kind online.

In addition to this, the HPRA have expressed particular concern about the legitimacy of the source of a recently seized supply of generic PrEP. The HPRA are also examining the websites people use to source PrEP.

There have been no reports from the HPRA or any other appropriate bodies stating that the medicine being sourced online is not effective as PrEP. However, sourcing medicine online does carry a level of risk and so we encourage caution if you intend to do so.

Please remember…

1. If you are sourcing PrEP by any means, engage with your local sexual health service for testing and monitoring. Clinics want to see people who are taking PrEP so that they can look after them in the best possible way. Learn more in the ‘What you need to do before taking PrEP’ section.
2. If the HPRA intercepts a PrEP order it will be confiscated. Under no circumstances will the PrEP drug be released to you. Any amounts spent on purchasing the drug will be lost.
3. If the HPRA contacts you about having placed an order for PrEP online – you are not in any trouble. If they ask you for information on how you ordered PrEP, you are under no obligation to respond.  However, the role of the HPRA is to protect the public from illegitimate drugs and their suppliers – any information supplied by you will be used to better understand the circumstances around supply of medicines and protect the public from bogus suppliers.

For more information on PrEP in general, click here.