PrEP prescribed online, delivered to your door.

It very well could be! HIV PrEP is for anyone looking to reduce their risk of getting HIV. It is generally recommended for those at a higher risk for HIV, including (but not limited to):

1. Men who have sex with men / Transgender women and gender diverse people.
2. Heterosexual women and men who have higher-risk exposure (such as having a partner with known HIV infection, sex workers, or having sex with a person at high risk for HIV)
3. People who inject drugs

You can also read our article Is PrEP for me?

If you take PrEP as recommended (daily), the medication helps stop HIV from spreading and taking hold. PrEP interferes with the pathways that HIV uses to cause permanent infection.

Daily use of PrEP reduces your risk of getting HIV from sex by 99% according to the US Center for Disease Control (CDC).

90%+ of Freddie's patients get free PrEP! The cost of PrEP varies by province. Here is a quick summary:

Alberta / Saskatchewan
PrEP is free for everyone who clinically qualifies! You can take our one minute PrEP assessment to see if you qualify for free PrEP.

Ontario

PrEP is free if you are 24 years old and younger, or are covered by Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)

If you are aged 25+, you generally need to pay for PrEP. However, Freddie has introduced financial assistance programs that make PrEP free or low cost! You can read more about these programs in our article Freddie's financial assistance or take our one minute PrEP assessment

And if you are in between coverage or waiting for it to start, Freddie can provide three months of free PrEP. We're here for you!

Quebec

PrEP is free if you are 24 years old and younger, a full-time student, and meet some other criteria. Speak to a Freddie clinician to see if you qualify.

Otherwise, there is generally a cost. People with private insurance usually pay $50/month. People without private insurance are covered by RAMQ, but a deductible of $95/month generally applies (although this may be lower if you are on other prescription drugs).

Freddie offers a financial assistance program to help with the cost of private lab testing. You can read more in our article Freddie's financial assistance.

Nova Scotia

People with private insurance usually pay $50/month, but Freddie’s financial assistance can lower this to $30/month! People without private insurance are covered by Nova Soctia’s Pharmacare program, but deductibles based on your income apply. Financial assistance programs for patients using Nova Scotia's Pharmacare are in the works!

For provinces not listed above, all except Manitoba have released criteria that enable you to be fully or partially covered for PrEP. Freddie currently serves Alberta, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan but we are working on going Canada-wide!

Coverage for Indigenous peoples‍

PrEP is available at no cost for Indigenous folks who are covered by the federal non-insured health benefits program (for Status First Nations and Inuit peoples).

Fortunately, less than 10% of people experience side effects. And those that do typically have them for a short while as their body gets used to the drug, and then they subside. 

While side effects are certainly a concern, regular check-ins with your clinician ensure that you do well on PrEP and if you do experience side effects, they are managed.

Yes! The vast majority of labs are not conducting COVID testing, which generally takes place at specific COVID testing centres. You can visit a lab and feel comfortable that you will, you will not be around patients with COVID symptoms. All labs have safety precautions to protect patients as well as their staff.

There is NO evidence of interaction between PrEP and any COVID vaccines approved in Canada. In other words, there is no reason that being on PrEP should stop you from getting vaccinated. In fact we encourage you to get the vaccine to protect yourself and everyone around you.