HIV prevention drug approved in US but not yet in Canada

published on December 1, 2015 in OR-POLITICS.com

It’s not approved yet in Canada for prevention, but doctors are already prescribing it knowing it can make a “dramatic difference” in reducing HIV infection.It’s called Truvada and studies have shown – as a prevention method known as PrEP, which stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis – if taken daily it can reduce the chance of HIV infection anywhere from 90 to 100 per cent.

“We know that if people are able to adhere with it pretty well, take their pill on most days, that it can achieve extremely high levels of protection, north of 95 per cent reduction in risk, one study even estimated something closer to 100 per cent reduction in risk,” Dr. Darrell Tan, an infectious disease physician, from St. Michael’s Hospital told Global News.

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Across the country, phyiscians are prescribing Truvada to patients for prevention in a practice called “off-label” prescribing. Dr. Rolando Barrios, director of epidemiology and population health at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS.“What we know is that in Canada and large cities the HIV infection is affecting mainly people who are [at] risk…what the studies have shown – particularly the most recent ones – is that by using Truvada the risk of transmission from an infected individual to an uninfected individual can be decreased.”Right now if Canadians take Truvada for prevention, because it is not approved, they pay for it out-of-pocket, or by a private insurance plan. It can cost up to $1000 a month, if taken daily.

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Rolando Barrios

BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS

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HIV prevention drug approved in US but not yet in Canada

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