PARIS, France (AFP) — The French Government said yesterday it would take the rare step of reimbursing prescription-bought condoms to combat the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

The measure, which covers French-made Eden condoms obtained on prescription from a doctor or midwife, was announced ahead of World AIDS Day on Saturday.

Produced by Majorelle laboratories and sold only in pharmacies, Eden condoms cost a fraction of leading brands such as Durex or Manix at 2.60 euros (US$2.95) for a box of 12.

They are the first to be approved for reimbursement by France’s national health authority, one of the few in Europe to do so.

In a statement the company hailed the announcement as “sending a strong signal that it (a condom) is not a sex toy, but a real and indispensable prevention tool” in the fight against sexually transmitted infections.

In July, a health department study showed cases of chlamydia and gonococcus — two common STIs — tripling in France between 2012 and 2016, with 15-24-year-olds particularly affected.

The study indicated the rise was due to people having sex with “an increasing number of partners coupled with the non-systematic use of condoms”.

Asked why its brand was selected, a spokeswoman for Majorelle, which was founded in 2012 with the stated aim of reducing inequality in access to health products, said: “We were the first to ask.”

Agnes Buzyn, the health minister who is a trained doctor, sounded the alarm over the risk of HIV transmission among condom-averse young people.

Around 6,000 new cases of HIV infection were diagnosed in 2016 — down five per cent since 2013 — taking the number of people living with the virus in France to over 172,000.

Buzyn warned that young people increasingly “use a condom the first time they have sex but not in subsequent instances”.

Majorelle cited a study showing that 75 per cent of young people would use condoms more if the cost was covered by the State.