BC aims to reduce new cases of HIV with expanded PrEP

British Columbians, including men and transwomen who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, and people who have sex with individuals living with HIV, can now access free medication to protect against HIV.

As of January 1st, the province of British Columbia is covering the cost of pre-exposure prophylaxis treatment (PrEP), recommended by the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) as an effective method to prevent HIV in people at risk of infection.

“The addition of PrEP to our Treatment as Prevention strategy will further accelerate the decline of new HIV infections in the province,” said Dr. Julio Montaner, director, BC-CfE. “This move further demonstrates BC’s continuing leadership in decreasing HIV and AIDS by addressing the specific healthcare needs of all British Columbians.”

The new program joins the existing, and newly expanded, PEP (post exposure prophylaxis) program. Developed and managed by the BC-CfE for the past twenty years, the PEP program has provided HIV prevention medication in instances of sexual assault and occupational exposure.

With the support of the provincial government, the BC-CfE has expanded NPEP (non-occupational post-exposure prophylaxis) provincially. NPEP covers individuals who may have been exposed to HIV through consensual drug use or sexual encounters.

“Our government is committed to helping fight the spread of HIV/AIDS and supporting people as they take action to protect themselves from this virus,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health in a press release. “Making this medication free for people will prevent new HIV infections, remove barriers to care and services, and help people live longer and healthier lives.”

In August 2016, the Common Drug Review recommended PrEP coverage be expanded based on securing a lower price for the generic version of the drug Truvada.

“By reducing the cost of PrEP, both for treatment and prevention, we now have an opportunity to expand our abilities to effectively decrease new HIV infections in the province,” said Dr. Montaner. He says identifying groups who are most at-risk for being infected with HIV will be a key part of the success of the medication.

“The team at the BC-CfE has been working hard to make PrEP accessible and economical. The good news is we have a more complete range of tools at our disposal to pursue the elimination of HIV in BC based on our Treatment as Prevention model,” says Dr. Mark Hull. “We are now working on educating physicians and British Columbians about access and availability.”

The BC-CfE website features detailed prescribing practices, enrollment information, education and training. Updated guidelines, course information and frequently asked questions will be addressed through online channels and social media. Ongoing online education courses, including webinars, will offer updates regarding all BC-CfE programs including PEP, NPEP and PrEP.

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During the Canada Post strike announced September 25, 2025, the following measures will be undertaken to minimize service disruption to BC-CfE clients and providers.

  • The BC-CfE Laboratory has transitioned to private courier for delivery of outgoing reports and documents. Results required urgently can be faxed upon request. (Lab Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8775; FAX 604-806-9463)
  • The BC-CfE Drug Treatment Program (DTP) will fax outgoing forms and documents to the provider’s office. (DTP Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8515; FAX 604-806-9044)
  • St. Paul’s Hospital Ambulatory Pharmacy has transitioned to private courier for delivery of medications. We recommend requesting medication at least 2 weeks in advance in case of delivery delays, particularly to rural/remote parts of BC. (Contact Information: Phone 1-800-547-3622; FAX 604-806-8675)

During the Canada Post strike, we recommend that documents be faxed or couriered to our sites, versus utilization of regular mail service

The BC-CfE Laboratory is streamlining reporting processes for certain tests in order to simplify distribution and record-keeping, and to ensure completeness of results. Beginning September 2, 2025, results for the ‘Resistance Analysis of HIV-1 Protease and Reverse Transcriptase’ (Protease-RT) and ‘HIV-1 Integrase Resistance Genotype’ tests will be combined into a single ‘HIV-1 Resistance Genotype Report’.
For more details and example reports, please click on the button below