Descovy

Generic name: emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide

Used for: HIV · Lowering the risk of getting HIV (PrEP), except from receptive vaginal sex · 1 more

How do you pay?

How to pay the least

Cash price

$2,240+ for 30 tablets

Pharmacies pay about this for Descovy; you’d pay more.

  1. Ask your pharmacy for Descovy’s cash price, and one or two other pharmacies too.
  2. Descovy’s savings card works only with insurance from a job or one you bought.

Free from the maker, if you qualify Advancing Access Patient Assistance Program/Medication Assistance Program (PAP/MAP). Or call 1-800-226-2056.

See if you qualify 

No generic is sold yet.

Compare every option

Question
Brand nameDescovy
Authorized genericemtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide
Regular genericemtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide
What you’d pay
At least$2,240for 30 tablets; pharmacies pay this
Not soldThere isn’t one
Not soldNone sold yet
Same as Descovy?
The original
–
–

Brand nameThe maker’s card

Gilead Advancing Access Co-pay Savings Program

Savings card from Gilead Sciences

No insuranceNeeds insuranceNo cash price listed.
Insurance · as little as $0 a fill

The card takes up to $7,200 a year off your co-pay.

Sign up on descovy.com 

Or call 1-800-226-2056.

In the maker’s words

“If eligible, Advancing Access may be able to help you lower your co-pay to as little as $0.”

From the maker’s offer on descovy.com, checked November 2, 2026. Co-pay cards can’t be used with Medicare (including Medicare Advantage), Medicaid, TRICARE or VA.

Maker’s card or discount card?

A discount card like GoodRx lowers the pharmacy’s cash price, but for a brand-name drug that price often stays high. Compare it with the maker’s card above. You can usually use one or the other on a fill, not both.

Authorized genericNot sold

There isn’t one. An authorized generic is Descovy itself, from the same company, sold without the brand name, and usually for less. For now Descovy is the only choice; its maker’s savings card can lower what you pay.

See the brand name →

Regular genericNot sold

No generic is sold yet. Generics usually come once the brand’s patents and exclusivity end. Until then, the maker’s savings card is the way to pay less.

See the brand name →

What it’s used for

What the FDA label says

HIV-1 Treatment:

DESCOVY is a two-drug combination of emtricitabine (FTC) and tenofovir alafenamide (TAF), both HIV nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), and is indicated:

  • in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults and adolescent patients weighing at least 35 kg.
  • for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in pediatric patients weighing at least 14 kg to less than 35 kg in combination with other antiretroviral agents, including darunavir and cobicistat but not other protease inhibitors that require a CYP3A inhibitor.

HIV-1 PrEP:

DESCOVY is indicated in at-risk adults and adolescents weighing at least 35 kg for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of HIV-1 infection from sexual acquisition, excluding individuals at risk from receptive vaginal sex. Individuals must have a negative HIV-1 test immediately prior to initiating DESCOVY for HIV-1 PrEP.

Limitations of Use:

The indication does not include use of DESCOVY in individuals at risk of HIV-1 from receptive vaginal sex because effectiveness in this population has not been evaluated.

Source: the FDA label for Descovy (Gilead Sciences, Inc.), July 7, 2026. Full label on DailyMed 

Good to know

Prices checked November 2, 2026. Prices change: confirm with the pharmacy before you fill. drugalt.com/drug/descovy/