SAFETY ALERT: Dolutegravir (Tivicay™, Triumeq™) use in pregnancy

By /

On June 7, 2018 – Health Canada issued a warning regarding the possible risk of neural tube defects associated with dolutegravir use during early pregnancy. This warning is based on preliminary findings from an observational study in Botswana, which identified 4 infants with neural tube defects born to women who had been treated with dolutegravir at the time of conception.

For more information: Click here to view the Health Canada advisory

In collaboration with the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, the Oak Tree Clinic at BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre has developed Dolutegravir prescribing guidelines for pregnancy and women of reproductive potential.

Amendment: On July 31, 2019, the Oak Tree Clinic guidelines were updated to reflect new information. Click here to view the most recent updates to the Oak Tree Clinic resources for healthcare providers (scroll down the page to Antiretroviral Drug Information)

Scroll to Top

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

Laboratory Order Forms

Start typing and press enter to search