In the short thirty year time span since the discovery of the HIV virus, the global medical community has made significant advances in treating, preventing, and reducing its effects. We now have blood tests to identify the HIV virus, medications to stall its progression, and are even capable of preventing HIV-positive mothers from passing the virus onto their children. But even with all the progress made in exterminating HIV, theWorld Health Organization reports that almost 37 million people were living with HIV/AIDS by the end of 2014. A new Australian HIV prevention drug is hoping to change that. Known as a pre-exposure prophylaxis pill (or PrEP), this new daily medication hopes to eliminate the threat of HIV by preventing its contraction entirely. PrEP has not yet received approval by the Australian government, but HIV experts are predicting its release in the near future. Australian advocates for PrEP availability nod to the United State’s approval of an HIV PrEP medication released in 2012. According to Victorian AIDS Council Chief Executive Officer Simon Ruth, “In places like San Francisco they’ve seen a forty percent drop in HIV rates in three years.”The Australian government estimates thatup to twenty-five percent of Australians infected with HIV are unaware of their positive status. Despite hopes to reduce HIV infection rates within the nation, Australia witnesses approximately1,100 new cases of HIV each year. With the potentially near release of the PrEP pill, thegovernment has expressed hopes to prevent any new cases of HIV in Australia by the year 2020.One challenge faced by Truvada (the HIV drug) advocates in Australia is the drug’s approval by the nation’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Currently, the TGA recognizes Truvada as a medication to reduce the spread of HIV virus in patients, but the drug has not yet been approved to be administered to HIV-negative individuals looking for preventative medications. While this does not make Truvada illegal for consumption amongst HIV-negative groups, lack of TGA recognition means that the pill remains off Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule and can cost up to1,000USD per month.Globally, HIV prevention medication is growing increasingly popular. Over 30,000 people worldwide currently take daily doses of PrEP, and zero percent of these individuals have contracted the HIV virus. While their negative statuses may also be attributed to a lack of contact with the virus, HIV prevention medication presents an incredible opportunity to effectively eradicate the virus in a generation’s time. This advancement in the medical community will impact all nations, particularly those with high HIV infection rates such as Swaziland or Botswana, where HIV-positive adults compriseover one-quarter of the adult population. As Ruth notes, “Condoms have been our first line of defense but we still have new infections every year. PrEP is a phenomenal game-changer…It’s one pill a day which is 100 percent effective.” This article was written by Lizzy Leclaire. Please send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: On Century Avenue