Overview

• At a June 10 legislature health committee hearing four doctors, the head of the Halifax Sexual Health Centre and a Dalhousie pharmacy professor urged the province to cover contraceptives and HIV-prevention drug PrEP
• Experts note that PrEP costs $200 to $250 per month compared with $1,500 to $2,000 for HIV treatment, making prevention a more cost-effective approach
• Dr. Melissa Brooks said Nova Scotia’s restrictive pharmacare plan often fails to subsidize preferred birth control methods, contributing to a rise in unintended pregnancies
• Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robert Strang reported that HIV incidence in the province doubled from 1.5 to 3 cases per 100,000 people between 2021 and 2024
• Only P.E.I., Manitoba, British Columbia and the Yukon have signed on to the federal pharmacare program so far, and advocates are pressing Nova Scotia to enlist to access federal funding