'We've been waiting for this for a long time': B.C. to fund HIV-prevention drug

published on December 28, 2017 by Cherise Seucharan, in CBC News

Daily prevention pill was available previously but it was not covered, and high prices made it inaccessible

People at high risk of becoming infected with the HIV virus will soon be able to access free medication to protect against it in B.C.

Starting on Jan. 1, the province of British Columbia will cover the costs of pre-exposure prophylaxis treatment, also known as PrEP, and involving the drug Truvada, for at-risk patients. The groundbreaking treatment that protects against HIV was developed in B.C., but its high cost made it inaccessible to many — until now.

Thanks in part to an agreement to secure a generic form of Truvada, a once-a-day pill, by the B.C. Centre for Excellence for HIV/AIDS, the province has agreed to cover costs.

"By bringing down the cost of Truvada, both for treatment and prevention, it makes a great opportunity for us to expand on our abilities to effectively control HIV in the province." said Dr. Julio Montaner, director of B.C. Centre for Excellence for HIV/AIDS and a pioneer of the treatment.

Montaner says that targeting groups who are most at-risk for being infected with HIV will be a key part of the success of the medication.

"If we were to capture the people who are at the highest risk of HIV infection … we could actually see a dramatic decrease in new infections in the next several years," said Montaner.

"All together, this [treatment] is part of our strategy to bring down HIV altogether so we can open the door to a truly HIV-free generation in the future. "

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Julio Montaner

BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS

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'We've been waiting for this for a long time': B.C. to fund HIV-prevention drug

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