The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS reports combining Treatment as Prevention with targeted Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis can effectively halt HIV/AIDS

The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) has released a study showing that the BC-developed HIV Treatment as Prevention (TasP) strategy, combined with Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), has significantly reduced HIV/AIDS-related deaths and new infections in British Columbia. Published in Lancet HIV, the study found that providing antiretroviral treatment to all HIV-positive individuals and preventive treatment to high-risk individuals reduced deaths and new infections by over 90%.

From 1996 to 2022, free TasP and targeted PrEP led to a 95% reduction in HIV/AIDS-related mortality and a 91% reduction in new infections. The study also noted that ART, TasP, and PrEP together effectively reduce HIV transmission and are cost-saving.

These findings align with previous analyses and highlight the benefits of BC's universal healthcare system, which covers ART, PrEP, and related services. BC's HIV incidence rate is now the lowest among Canada's six largest provinces.