The use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), is a contentious subject. Some call it a party drug, others believe it promotes unsafe sex, while others believe it’s an important method for reducing the number of new cases of HIV.
Canada, a world leader in HIV/AIDS research, is heavily scrutinized for its lack of adoption of the use of PrEP in the prevention of the spread of HIV, especially amongst the gay, bisexual, and MSM communities.
Gay men across Canada are clamoring for governments and the medical community to get a plan of action together and approve the use of PrEP in Canada, despite drug manufacture, Gilead Science, not having submitted a formal application to Health Canada for the use of the drug as a preventative tool. Earlier this year, a spokesperson for Gilead Science said they are in discussions with authorities in Canada, but have not yet submitted their application. This could easily be their way of saying that their application was incomplete or that they are holding out to be the exclusive drug manufacturer in Canada, which then simply becomes a financial windfall for the company.
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“I have been very vocal on my position to Health Canada and have been proactive about pre-exposure prophylaxis,” stated Dr. Montaner, one of the lead doctors at the Centre for Excellence of HIV in British Columbia. “In British Columbia, we have put this to the deputy committee and guidelines are about to be released, comparable to the CDC and WHO.”
The recommendations and guidelines Dr. Montaner refers to would go to the Ministry of Health for review and consideration. This would not mean that the cost of the drug would be covered through the Provincial drug program.
“These findings will be coming out in the coming weeks or months,” explained Dr. Montaner, who has been diligently working on the recommendations and guidelines for the use of PrEP in British Columbia. If approved, British Columbia would be the first jurisdiction in Canada to adopt formal guidelines for the use of PrEP. “The Province of British Columbia needs to determine if it will be covered in the drug program.”
Brian Webb
Homoculture
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