Ivermectin is legal in Australia. What has changed since September 2021 is who can prescribe it and for what. This guide covers the current TGA position, the practical routes to a legal supply, dosing by body weight, and the specific mistakes Australian buyers make when they try to shortcut the process.

Ivermectin's Current Legal Status in Australia

Ivermectin has been on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods for years and remains a Schedule 4 (prescription-only) medicine. In September 2021, the Therapeutic Goods Administration amended the Poisons Standard to restrict off-label prescribing to specific specialists: dermatologists, infectious disease physicians, gastroenterologists, and hepatologists. General practitioners can still prescribe ivermectin for the TGA-approved indications, which is what most Australian buyers actually need.

The 2021 restriction was aimed at unapproved COVID-19 prescribing, not at legitimate antiparasitic use. If you have scabies, strongyloidiasis, or one of the other approved indications, your GP can write the prescription. If you are looking for off-label use, you need a referral to the appropriate specialist.

TGA-Approved Uses vs Off-Label Use

The TGA-approved indications for oral ivermectin in Australia are:

• Human intestinal strongyloidiasis (Strongyloides stercoralis).
• Onchocerciasis (river blindness), microfilarial phase.
• Crusted (Norwegian) scabies, in combination with topical treatment.
• Typical scabies, when topical treatment has failed or cannot be used.

Topical ivermectin 1% cream (Soolantra) is separately approved for inflammatory lesions of rosacea. Off-label uses (mass drug administration for lymphatic filariasis, head lice, some paediatric indications) require specialist prescribing under the 2021 amendment.

Buying Locally: Chemist Warehouse, Priceline, and GPs

The realistic Australian retail options:

• GP prescription plus community pharmacy. Book a GP, describe the indication (scabies, threadworm exposure, travel-related strongyloidiasis), get a script, fill it at any Chemist Warehouse, Priceline, Amcal, or independent pharmacy. This is the standard route and covers the majority of Australian buyers. Our Chemist Warehouse guide covers what stock actually looks like at the counter.
• Specialist referral. Required for off-label prescribing. Expect a 4 to 12 week waiting list for a dermatologist or infectious disease specialist in most cities.
• Telehealth. Several Australian telehealth platforms will consult and prescribe for TGA-approved indications. The consultation runs $50 to $90 AUD; the medication is separately billed.

Note: veterinary ivermectin products (horse paste, cattle drench, sheep pour-on) are sold over the counter in rural feed stores. These are formulated for animals, contain excipients that have never been safety-tested in humans, and are dosed at animal body weights. Do not use them.

The TGA Personal Importation Scheme Explained

Under the TGA Personal Importation Scheme, an Australian resident can import a personal-use supply of a prescription medicine that meets these conditions:

• The medicine is for the personal use of the importer or an immediate family member.
• The quantity is no more than three months' supply at the maximum labelled dose.
• The total imported in any 12-month period does not exceed 15 months of supply.
• The medicine is not a substance of abuse or a prohibited import (schedules 8 and 9). Ivermectin is Schedule 4 and is permitted.
• The importer has a prescription from a registered Australian medical practitioner. This condition is written into the scheme; enforcement varies, but the legal requirement stands.

Australia Border Force may request the prescription at the point of importation. Keeping the prescription with the shipment paperwork is the practical answer.

Ivermectin Brand Comparison for Australian Buyers

The ivermectin generics most commonly purchased by Australian buyers under personal importation:

• Ivercor 12mg ($80). The standard adult tablet for a single-dose 200mcg/kg regimen at 60kg body weight. Manufactured by Actiza. First choice for most scabies and strongyloidiasis protocols.
• Ivercor 6mg ($65). Half-strength tablet, useful for exact weight-based dosing under 60kg or for split-dose regimens.
• Ivecop 12mg ($65). Menarini/Sun-manufactured equivalent to Ivercor 12mg at the same strength.
• Ivercor 3mg ($58). Smallest routine adult tablet. Useful for paediatric dosing under specialist direction and for fine weight-titrated protocols.
• Ivercor 24mg ($120). Higher-strength tablet for heavier body weight or for the 400mcg/kg regimen used in some crusted scabies protocols under specialist care.

Ivermaxx 80mg exists on our catalogue but is a high-dose product used in specialist research settings, not a routine buy for Australian consumers. If you are unsure which strength matches your weight and indication, our ivermectin dosage guide covers weight-based dosing in detail.

Dosage by Weight and Indication

Standard weight-based dosing (adults, oral):

• Strongyloidiasis: 200 micrograms per kilogram, single oral dose, taken on an empty stomach with water. Repeat once at day 14 in immunocompetent patients; longer regimens for immunocompromised patients under specialist care.
• Typical scabies: 200 micrograms per kilogram, single dose, repeated at day 7 to 14. Combined with topical permethrin for household contacts.
• Crusted scabies: 200 micrograms per kilogram on days 1, 2, and 8, with additional doses on days 9 and 15 for severe cases, always alongside topical treatment. Specialist care.
• Onchocerciasis: 150 micrograms per kilogram, single dose, repeated every 6 to 12 months.

Approximate tablet count at 200mcg/kg using 12mg tablets:

• 50-64kg: 1 tablet (12mg).
• 65-84kg: 1.5 tablets (18mg).
• 85-110kg: 2 tablets (24mg).
• 110-140kg: 2.5 to 3 tablets (30-36mg).

Take on an empty stomach unless directed otherwise. The absolute bioavailability of oral ivermectin is affected by food; while a high-fat meal increases absorption, dosing protocols are calibrated on the empty-stomach state. Our liquid ivermectin dosing article covers the alternative formulation.

Safety Profile and Contraindications

The safety and tolerability of ivermectin at approved doses is well characterised. Pharmacokinetic and safety studies including escalating high-dose work in healthy adults have shown a wide therapeutic window at standard antiparasitic doses (PubMed PMID:12362927), with additional systematic review data on scabies-treatment safety (PubMed PMID:26555785, PMID:30654070).

Common side effects: nausea, mild diarrhoea, headache, dizziness, transient rash. Most are self-limiting within 24 to 48 hours.

Uncommon but important: neurological effects (confusion, ataxia) especially at doses well above the standard range, transient hypotension, elevated liver enzymes.

Drug interactions: ivermectin is a P-glycoprotein substrate. Concurrent use of strong P-gp inhibitors (ciclosporin, tacrolimus, ritonavir) and warfarin requires caution and monitoring. Sedative-hypnotic combinations may enhance CNS effects. Discuss all current medications with the prescriber; safety and pharmacokinetic data on interactions is covered in PubMed PMID:38742896.

Contraindications: known hypersensitivity to ivermectin, pregnancy (Category B3 in Australia; use only when clearly needed), children under 15kg body weight or under 5 years (limited safety data).

What Not to Do (Horse Paste, Overdosing, Self-COVID Treatment)

Three mistakes drive the majority of Australian ivermectin-related emergency department presentations:

• Veterinary horse paste. The tube is dosed for a 600kg animal. Human toxic exposures from horse paste are documented in poisons information centre call data. The paste base contains excipients not tested for human use, and the concentration is 1.87% (18.7mg per gram) rather than a tablet strength. Our horse paste article and ivermectin paste breakdown explain why this is a bad idea.
• Self-dosing for COVID-19. Systematic review evidence has not supported ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment (PubMed PMID:34570241). Off-label prescribing for this indication is legally restricted in Australia. Buying ivermectin online to self-treat COVID is both clinically unsupported and, depending on how the medicine is obtained, potentially unlawful.
• Overdosing on the assumption that "more is better". Ivermectin has a wide therapeutic window at standard doses but is not benign at multiples of the recommended dose. Neurological toxicity is dose-related.

Ordering from SafeRxPills in Australia

SafeRxPills operates under Actiza Pharmaceutical Pvt. Ltd., a WHO-GMP and ISO-certified Indian generics manufacturer with more than a decade of export operations. For Australian buyers, orders ship from India to Sydney or Melbourne, with typical delivery in 7 to 12 business days. Personal-use quantities of Schedule 4 medicines are handled under the TGA Personal Importation Scheme as described above.

Related reading for Australian buyers: Can you buy ivermectin over the counter in Australia?, Ivermectin tablets complete guide, Ivermectin side effects, and Where to buy ivermectin online safely.

Frequently Asked Questions