The Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN) is pleased to announce the release of a new report titled “HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis in Ontario”.
HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective HIV-risk reduction strategy, but little is known about PrEP uptake in Ontario. This report uses dispensations from pharmacies from July 2015 to June 2018 to summarize PrEP usage and physician prescriptions from March 2018 to February 2019 to describe PrEP uptake across Ontario.
Key findings of the report include:
- By mid-2018, approximately 3,000 people were on PrEP in Ontario.
- The majority of PrEP users were male and between the age of 30-39 years.
- By mid-2018, the majority of estimated PrEP users were prescribed PrEP by family and general practitioners (68%) and in the Toronto – core region (58%).
- While approximately 77% of PrEP users used private insurance to cover the cost of the medications in mid-2018, the proportion of PrEP users using public coverage increased between 2015 and 2018.
- Over 700 physicians prescribed PrEP at least once between March 2018 and February 2019, over 40% of whom were located in the Toronto core region.
If you have any questions about PrEP use, the OHTN has launched OntarioPrEP.ca, a new online hub for community members and healthcare providers to learn more about PrEP.
The website includes:
- resources to support people interested in PrEP to learn the basics about how PrEP works;
- an assessment tool to see if PrEP might be right for them;
- information about coverage options;
- a searchable clinic finder.
The healthcare provider side of the website includes short training videos about different aspects of PrEP related care, links to other learning resources, and an opportunity to connect with an experienced PrEP provider for more training.