Advocates call for Ontario to make HIV prevention drugs free as cases climb

On World AIDS Day, advocates are calling on the province to make drugs that can prevent the transmission of HIV free for all Ontarians, as recent data shows an uptick in cases in Canada. 

In 2023, there were 2,434 new diagnoses of HIV in Canada — a 35 per cent increase compared to the year before, according to Statistics Canada data. 

That's on top of a 22 per cent increase between 2021 and 2022, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. 

The increase in cases shows HIV is still a reality in Canada despite the decline in public awareness of the disease, said Dr. Kevin Woodward, executive director of HQ Toronto, a health hub offering STI and HIV testing. 

"When I was growing up, it was on television all the time, and that's really not the case anymore," he said. 

"But HIV is still present. People are still getting diagnosed with HIV, and this may be your brother or your sister or your loved one."

Woodward said he thinks the increase in cases can be partly blamed on the pandemic, when people had less access to health care. 

But Woodward said the increase could be slowed down if there was greater uptake in drugs that prevent HIV transmission, specifically PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis), a daily medication used to protect against HIV, and PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis), a combination of preventive medications taken within 72 hours of possible HIV exposure. 

If taken correctly, these drugs can decrease the risk of transmission almost entirely, Woodward said.

"The problem that we have in in Ontario, specifically, is that the uptake of PrEP has not been great," he said. 

Woodward said that's partly because these drugs can be expensive, with PrEP costing about $250/month for those without private insurance coverage or access to provincial programs. 

"Although there's lots of government programs to help pay for it, if you're someone who is a newcomer or even lived in Canada for your entire life, navigating all of those systems can be incredibly difficult," he said. 

Motion calls for no-cost access

Hannah Jensen, spokesperson for Health Minister Sylvia Jones, said the drugs are covered through the Ontario Drug Benefit Program, pointing out that the Ontario Drug Benefit and Trillium drug plan provides access to coverage for nearly half of Ontario's population. 

But NDP MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam wants the drugs to be covered under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan, so all Ontarians can access the medications free of charge. 

Wong-Tam introduced a motion to this effect in June in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in an effort to reduce barriers.

Covering these drugs under OHIP "would actually go a long way in reducing and eliminating the transmission of HIV," Wong-Tam said. 

"It's a much more simple upfront cost today, and it will save us much more money in the long run as we move towards very expensive treatment programs," Wong-Tam said. 

Ian McKnight, director of programs and services for the Toronto People with AIDS Foundation, said many of their clients are newcomers or unhoused, making it difficult to access treatment or prevention through traditional health-care avenues.  

"Most have no money to get to the services or to get to the clinics or to get to even food," he said. 

"The fact that some facilities are not even open outside of a 9-to-5 situation, homelessness, mental health issues, all of these are just converging on us to fan a new flame in HIV."