Nova Scotia pharmacists among first in Canada to prescribe HIV prevention drug thanks to Dalhousie study

Nova Scotia became one of the first provinces in Canada to grant pharmacists the power to prescribe potentially life-saving medicine that can help prevent the spread of HIV. The medication, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), is a preventative, daily medication that protects people who use it from contracting the virus.

The Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists granted the power to prescribe PrEP to the province’s pharmacists beginning on July 1 following a pilot study conducted by Dr. Kyle Wilby. Wilby is the director of Dalhousie University’s College of Pharmacy.

“We’re extremely pleased by the reception we’ve gotten from pharmacists in province who are curious about this expansion of their scope of practice and interested in implementing it,” Wilby said. He added that new workflows, including bloodwork analysis, will take time to become widespread.

A news release from Dalhousie University said the first prescriptions are expected to be written this fall. Wilby is conducting training sessions and teaching the new requirements to pharmacists throughout the province.

The Centre for Disease Control said that PrEP reduces the risk of contracting HIV through sex by close to 99 per cent and reduces the risk of contraction through injection by at least 74 per cent.

The news release said allowing pharmacists to prescribe PrEP allows easier access for patients and reduces the burden on health-care workers. The university also said increased use of PrEP is expected to decrease HIV rates in the province along with other STIs detected in the regular screenings required to maintain prescriptions.

Statistics Canada data recorded 1,833 new diagnoses of HIV in 2022, a 25 per cent increase over 2021. The virus leads to a greater risk of infections, cancers, cardiovascular and liver disease. HIV claimed the lives of 133 Canadians in 2021.

Bev Zwicker, CEO and Registrar of the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists, said Wilby’s research made it clear that pharmacists could play a role in protecting people against HIV.

“Then it was just a matter of developing the necessary safeguards to ensure that it happens safely,” Zwicker said.

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.